Help with funeral costs
Who pays for a funeral, how to trace a funeral plan, and the help available, from Funeral Expenses Payment to the Children's Funeral Fund.
Helpful guidance
From choosing a memorial to coping with grief, find the information you're looking for in our range of guidance articles.
Reviews for Dignity Group
- Included:Over 200 years of caring for families
- Included:Local service from 558 branches
- Included:Funerals, plans, probate and more
Arranging a funeral
Right to arrange a funeral
Who has the legal right to arrange a funeral, what happens when a family disagree, whether a friend can do it, and if you need the will first.
Funeral poems and verses
Poems and verses read at funerals – popular, short, funny and non-religious – who usually reads them, and what to do if you get upset partway.
Funeral notices
The free online notice that shares funeral details – when to publish one, what it should say, how people find it, and leaving messages or donations.
What to do when someone dies
If someone has died, this step-by-step guide will help you understand what to do. If you're unsure of your next step, or need support, just call us. We're here 24 hours a day, every day.
Dealing with death
What is a procurator fiscal and what do they do
What the Procurator Fiscal does when a death is reported in Scotland, what happens at a post-mortem or Fatal Accident Inquiry, and whether a funeral is delayed.
What to do when someone dies: common questions
The questions families ask most in the first few days after a death, with links to the fuller guides on registering, arranging and what comes after.
When someone dies unexpectedly
What to do in the first hours after a sudden death, why a coroner is usually involved, and where to find support for the shock that follows.
Organ and body donation after death
How the opt-out organ donation law works, why your family is still asked, and the separate route for donating your body to medical science.
Memorials
Home memorials
Ways to keep a loved one close at home, from memory bears and wooden hearts for ashes to photo frames, paperweights and urns, and how they can be personalised.
Memorial FAQs
Straight answers on memorials – what they are for, the types families choose, the regulations sites set, materials and upkeep, and personalising one.
Types of memorials
The full range of memorials, from classic stone to personal keepsakes – how to choose one that suits the person, and what to do if there is no grave.
Traditional memorial stones and accompaniments
Traditional stone memorials – headstones, grave markers, statues and accompaniments – how long before one can be fitted, and adding to it later.
Talk to us in person
Contact your local Dignity branch to talk to a funeral director.
Attending a funeral
A guide to funeral etiquette
Common questions about funeral etiquette in the UK answered: what to wear, where to sit, what to say and what to take to a funeral service.
What to say at a funeral
What to say to someone before, during and after a funeral, the phrases that land badly however kindly meant, and how to keep supporting them afterwards.
What to take to a funeral
What to take to a funeral – a card, flowers or a donation to pay your respects, and the practical things that keep you comfortable through the day.
Taking children to funerals
Deciding whether to take a child to a funeral, how to explain what will happen, ways they can take part, and practical points for babies and toddlers.
Funeral plans
Funeral plan FAQs
Straight answers on Dignity funeral plans – what is and is not included, who can take one out, choosing your funeral director, and the ways to pay.
Funeral plan costs
What a Dignity funeral plan costs and what shapes the price, whether you can spread the payments, and what happens if you change your mind.
Buying a funeral plan for someone else
Taking out a funeral plan for a parent or partner – how old they must be, who pays, how the plan is activated, and what happens if they die away from home.
Personalising your funeral plan
Adding your own wishes to a funeral plan – hymns, readings, a coffin, transport – how much you can specify, and changing it later at no charge.
How funeral plans work
This guide explains how prepaid Funeral Plans work and how they can protect loved ones.
Religious funerals
Bible readings for funerals
Bible readings for a funeral – the psalms and passages most often chosen, how many to include, who reads them, and using them in a non-religious venue.
Nigerian funerals
Nigerian funerals, split between Muslim and Christian rites by region, with indigenous practice alongside – what to expect, etiquette and costs.
African funerals
African funerals, where the rite usually comes from the family's Christian or Muslim faith with traditional practice alongside – etiquette and costs.
Caribbean funerals
Caribbean funerals, where practice varies widely by church and island, so the guide covers what to ask your own church, the etiquette and the costs.
Grief and bereavement support
How to cope with losing a parent
Losing a parent as a child and in adult life – supporting a surviving parent, sharing the admin and the funeral, and finding your way afterwards.
Sympathy card and funeral flower messages
What to write in a sympathy card or on funeral flowers – short and longer wordings, religious ones, messages for a parent or sibling, and what to avoid.
Coping with grief at Christmas
Christmas after a death – why the build-up is often worse than the day, whether to celebrate at all, and keeping or changing the family traditions.
Coping with grief on Mother's Day
Mother’s Day when you have lost your mother, or lost a child – why the day is hard for both, school activities, and what to say to someone facing it.
Dealing with finances
When someone dies without a will
Who inherits when there is no will – how the rules of intestacy work, who applies for probate, how long it takes, and who can arrange the funeral.
When someone dies with a will
Finding the will, applying for probate, valuing the estate and paying any inheritance tax, then distributing it – and whether a will can be contested.
Mortgages and debt when someone dies
What happens to a mortgage and to debts after a death – joint and sole, credit cards, loans, overdrafts and utility arrears – and who is liable for paying.