Households pressured to crowdfund £2,365 as funeral prices rise once more

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Your help makes all of the distinction. Learn extra Bereaved households are turning to crowdfunding and mortgage sharks as the price of a standard funeral jumped 5.3 per cent.

The associated fee jumped to £4,510 final 12 months, the most important annual improve since 2016, in line with SunLife’s annual Price of Dying Report.

A easy attended funeral, which incorporates the core components of a standard service however with fewer add-ons comparable to a memorial and flowers, is now the commonest selection within the UK, costing a median of £3,828.

When teamed with a memorial, catering, venue rent and flowers, complete spending on the typical funeral rose to £5,140.

Rising costs have been pushed by elevated cremation and burial charges, larger coffin costs, and elevated residing prices.

Some 15 per cent of households say they've confronted monetary hardship paying for a funeral, having to search out an additional £2,365 on common.

<img src="https://static.independent.co.uk/2021/11/02/13/iStock-1156550368.jpg" srcset="https://static.independent.co.uk/2021/11/02/13/iStock-1156550368.jpg?quality=75&width=320&auto=webp 320w, https://static.independent.co.uk/2021/11/02/13/iStock-1156550368.jpg?quality=75&width=640&auto=webp 640w" loading="lazy" alt="Rising prices have been driven by increased cremation and burial fees, higher coffin prices, and increased living costs" class="sc-1mc30lb-0 ggpMaE inline-gallery-btn"/> open picture in gallery

Rising costs have been pushed by elevated cremation and burial charges, larger coffin costs, and elevated residing prices (iStock) A couple of in 10 (12 per cent) of these going through monetary problem turned to crowdfunding to cowl funeral prices, whereas 8 per cent reported borrowing cash from an unregulated lender or mortgage shark.

London stays the most costly place to die, with the price of a easy attended funeral averaging £4,897.

The report discovered that those that knew a number of the deceased’s funeral preferences have been in a position to save a median of £335 on a send-off in contrast with those that didn't.

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In the meantime, direct cremations, costing a median of £1,628, at the moment are chosen for 21 per cent of funerals – with nearly all of instances involving the deceased having deliberate the preparations.

Nevertheless, 86 per cent of those that opted for a direct cremation nonetheless selected to carry a memorial, wake or celebration of life, bringing the total spending to a median of £2,949.

Some 70 per cent of individuals make some type of provision for his or her funeral to ease the burden on these left behind, comparable to financial savings, funeral plans, and life insurance coverage, the research discovered.

Simply 42 per cent save sufficient to cowl the total price, leaving family members to bridge the hole.

<img src="https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/04/05/16/iStock-1124651972.jpg" srcset="https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/04/05/16/iStock-1124651972.jpg?quality=75&width=320&auto=webp 320w, https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/04/05/16/iStock-1124651972.jpg?quality=75&width=640&auto=webp 640w" loading="lazy" alt="Some 15 per cent of families say they have faced financial hardship paying for a funeral" class="sc-1mc30lb-0 ggpMaE inline-gallery-btn"/> open picture in gallery

Some 15 per cent of households say they've confronted monetary hardship paying for a funeral (Getty/iStock) SunLife chief govt Mark Screeton stated: “Funerals are a deeply private expertise, however our analysis exhibits that the price of saying goodbye continues to rise sooner than some households can afford.

“We're seeing extra individuals turning to easy attended funerals, a contemporary center floor between conventional and direct choices, permitting households to rejoice their beloved one’s life with out overspending.

“Having conversations about each what we would like for our funerals and the way they are going to be paid for could make an actual distinction, emotionally and financially.

“Planning forward means households can create a significant farewell with out pointless stress or price at an already troublesome time.”

Lindesay Mace, co-manager of funeral poverty charity All the way down to Earth, stated: “The misery attributable to struggling to pay for a funeral shouldn't be underestimated.

“We see the devastating results on individuals’s well being and their capacity to grieve each day at our All the way down to Earth funeral prices help service.

“This monetary hardship is mirrored in rising demand for assist, with our helpline seeing a 20 per cent year-on-year improve in individuals contacting us in 2024/25.