How Much Does a Funeral Cost in Melbourne?
Funeral Directors
Planning a funeral is a stressful time, and the cost related to a funeral can seem to add to this stress during a difficult period in any family’s life.
How do you ensure that you don’t overpay, but at the same time ensure that your loved-one gets the farewell they deserve?
Melbourne funeral directors will have varying degrees of funeral and cremations services that they provide and as such the average cost on this will vary depending on the services plan that you select.
Factors such as whether it is a burial or cremation, the type of ceremony you have chosen and whether there are any special cultural or religious requirements will have an impact on the average cost of a funeral.
However, on average a funeral director in Melbourne will charge for a general funeral service of around $4,000 for a basic cremation to around $14,000 for a more elaborate ceremony. Arranging a funeral is a long process, you will need to prepare and pay for funeral director’s fees, coffin, transport services, death certificate, permits, burial and cremation, cemetery plot, flower arrangement and more.
Basic Average Fees:
- For basic cremation costs around $1,200.
- A basic cremation with incidentals costs around $4,000.
- Elaborate funerals can cost $15,000 or more.
Before agreeing to the price from a funeral be sure that you have found the right Melbourne funeral director for you.
How to Pay For a funeral?
There are multiple ways to pay for a funeral, whether it’s at the time of need or through a prepaid funeral plan. Your funeral director will be able to provide advice and help on how to manage the payment of the funeral, but check out the government’s Money Smart site for detail impartial advice on paying for your funeral.
To avoid stress during this farewell, you can save money in advance by setting up a term deposit or online savings account to cover any type of funeral services you want. But, make sure to inform your beneficiaries about this separate account so they can access it to pay your funeral.
If you have you have a funeral home or director you can setup a prepaid funeral plan. You can either pay it in full or regular instalments. The advantage of pre-paid funeral is it is cheaper that a funeral bond or funeral insurance and you can pay it on an instalment basis. This prepaid funeral money is registered with a third-party service. And just because you have taken out a prepaid funeral with a funeral home doesn’t mean that funeral home has to be used at the time of need. The prepaid amount can be transferred to another funeral director upon request.
For more information on the legislation in relation to pre-paid funerals in Victoria visit www.consumer.vic.gov.au
Paying a Funeral with your Super Fund
In any cases, there are other ways to pay funeral services, such us paying through a super fund; a super fund will pay all your funeral balance.
Paying a Funeral with Funeral Insurance
Aside from paying through a super fund, you can also pay through insurance.
Paying through insurance will take time, your family member will need to pay for it and be reimbursed once probate is granted. You can pay funeral insurance on a monthly payment or fortnightly premiums. Most funeral insurance plans are ranging from $5,000 to $15,000 cover which will be paid to your beneficiary when you die.
Insurers have a different type of rules, so you must read the policy first before signing.
Paying a Funeral with Funeral Bonds
An option of paying with a funeral bond is also available to be withdrawn after your death. You can invest payment in a funeral bond through an investment company or funeral directors. There are various types of funeral plans for you to choose.
Funeral directors in Melbourne offer a wide range of funeral services. You can check their websites or call them for their funeral packages and prices that you can choose from. Some funeral insurance will cover most funeral costs, but it depends on what type of funeral services you want. Funeral directors in Melbourne are aiming to provide an exceptional customer service.
