Understanding Funeral Costs

One of the most important, yet confusing things for a family when planning services is what things are going to cost. In order to be transparent with our community and help people understand how pricing is structured, we included this information. The FTC regulates how funeral pricing is structured and require all funeral homes to comply with the same basic structure. The total price for a services comes from the sum of three categories of which are discussed below. 

Services – Whether you plan to hold an elaborate celebration of life or a simple immediate cremation, there are going to be charges for the services of the funeral home. These will always include basic services of funeral director and staff to coordinate arrangements and procure legal documents and permits. Others may include transportation of the deceased, embalming and other preparation of the remains, use of facilities for visitation or funeral, and use of the funeral homes vehicles such as the funeral coach or “hearse”. 

Merchandise – This would include things such as a casket, outer burial container, urn, keepsakes, and printing materials. Please keep in mind that the State of Michigan collects sales tax on these items. 

Cash Advances – These are the costs of third party services that are involved in your loved ones services. These include but are not limited to newspapers and other publishers, cemeteries to open and close graves, vault companies for graveside equipment, crematories, government agencies for documents and permits, florists, and transportation services. 

It is also important when looking for a provider for both burial and cremation, that you take time to speak with a representative from the business and discuss what is needed for your loved one so accurate pricing can be given. Often, families can be lured in by promises of lower costs by cremation societies and such, but are disappointed when after sitting down and making plans, things come out about the same or more. We set our prices so we can provide each family a funeral director who is knowledgeable not only on federal and state laws, but local regulations.