What you should do first
You can only arrange a funeral once the death has been registered.
First, check whether the person had a will, a pre-paid funeral plan, or a record of their wishes before contacting a funeral director or making any arrangements.
These documents may be in the deceased person’s home, with relatives, a solicitor, or a bank.
If you do not know their wishes, ask family or friends, or get advice from the funeral director or person who will conduct the service.
Planning a funeral
You can plan for a funeral yourself, but most people go to a funeral director (or undertaker) who can give advice on all aspects of a funeral service. They can make the arrangements for you, including the burial or cremation.
If you wish to have a religious funeral service, contact the relevant minister of religion as soon as possible. If you do not know one, ask your funeral director – they may be able to arrange for one to officiate at the service.
Paying for a funeral
Make sure you’re aware of the funeral costs before finalising arrangements. This will include the costs for a burial or a cremation.
If the person is to be buried, you may need to pay for a plot (called a lair) in a cemetery, if they did not own one already.
Find out about:
Your funeral director can advise you on the cost of a cremation if that’s what you wish.
Check if the person who died had a pre-paid funeral plan or insurance to cover the funeral costs.
Otherwise, the cost of the funeral can be paid from money in their estate. This usually takes priority over any other debts or payments they had.
You can get help from their bank manager or a solicitor about accessing any accounts or funds they had to pay for the funeral.
Help with the costs of a funeral
If you or family or friends are paying for some or all of the funeral, you may be able to get help with the costs.
You may be able to get Funeral Support Payment or financial support from a benevolent fund.
Other sources of money to help pay for a funeral might include an insurance policy, a tax refund, a cash sum, pension, or war pension.
Funeral Support Payment
The Scottish Government has a benefit called Funeral Support Payment.
This helps pay for funeral costs if you live in Scotland.
You can use the payment towards funeral costs for a baby, child, or adult. This includes babies who were stillborn.
It usually does not cover the full cost of the funeral, but it can help pay for some costs. It can be paid either to you or the funeral director who's helping you arrange the funeral.
Only 1 person can get Funeral Support Payment for the funeral.
You will not be eligible if you've already had other government support for the funeral, which includes:
- Funeral Expenses Payment (England or Wales)
- Funeral Payment (Northern Ireland)
- your hospital arranging and paying for your baby's funeral if you had a stillbirth.
Find out about Funeral Support Payment (mygov.scot website).
Our Advice Works team can help you with applying for Funeral Support Payment or other benefits you are entitled to claim.
Advice Works team
Benevolent funds
Benevolent funds are charitable funds, trusts, and societies established by trades, professions, religious institutes, armed or civilian services, charities or members of local communities.
Depending on where you or your family members work, or have worked in the past, you may be able to get help towards the costs of arranging a funeral from specific benevolent funds. You should contact your workplace or the workplace of the deceased person to see if they can help.
Estates of the deceased
We do not hold any information on the value of the estate of a deceased person.
We do not trace relatives of the deceased, and we do not work with any genealogists.
If no blood relative, spouse, civil partner or cohabitant are traced, the National Ultimus Haeres Unit (NUHU) will investigate if the estate has any value after any liabilities, like debts or money owed, have been taken away.
Funerals for deceased with no family
If a person dies and has no traceable relatives or executor, we may arrange their funeral.
This is only if the person has died in Renfrewshire and no one else is arranging the funeral.
If the person died outside of Renfrewshire, you should contact the council where they died.
The arrangements we provide will only be for a simple, dignified, basic funeral. No funeral notices, service, flowers, or funeral cars are provided. We make the arrangements and use an undertaker appointed by us.
The funeral costs will be recovered from the deceased person’s estate and are usually paid before any other debts.