Disbursements

Disbursements are the fees a funeral director pays to others on the family’s behalf, such as crematorium or burial ground fees, a minister’s or celebrant’s fee and flowers. They are listed separately from the funeral director’s own charges, and funeral directors must show them clearly in their published prices.

What counts as one

Anything a third party charges for: the crematorium, the cemetery or the preparation of a grave, the officiant or celebrant, the florist and the stonemason. Medical certificates can be one too, where a fee applies. The funeral director pays these on your behalf and passes them on at cost. Crematorium fees are set by each crematorium and vary by area, roughly from £700 to over £1,200; the fees for a new grave vary far more.

Why they matter when you compare prices

A funeral bill has four parts: the funeral director’s own fee, the coffin, the disbursements and the optional extras. Under the Competition and Markets Authority’s Funerals Market Investigation Order 2021, every funeral director must publish a standardised price list that sets out the third-party fees clearly. Ask two firms for theirs and compare each part separately. A low headline price that leaves out the crematorium fee is not a low price.

How they are paid

Disbursements are settled with the final funeral bill. Some banks will pay a funeral director’s invoice straight from the frozen account of the person who died, before probate is granted, though none has to, so ask. If you receive a qualifying benefit and are arranging the funeral, the Funeral Expenses Payment pays the cremation or burial fee in full. For what a whole funeral costs, see funeral costs.