What to Include in a Funeral Plan

Funeral plan checklist

It helps to have a funeral plan checklist to ensure that your funeral plan covers the necessary bases.

Representative

• The name and contact information for the individual who will represent your funeral plan to ensure that it is followed.

Care of Remains

• Location: Whether you want to be attended at home or at a commercial funeral provider
• Embalming: Whether or not you want your body to be embalmed (required for funeral services where remains are present). Note that embalming does not preserve a body long term.
• Clothing, makeup, hairstyle and jewelry: What you want to be wearing when buried or cremated. Be aware that commercial funeral providers will also expect undergarments.

Disposition of remains

• Burial or cremation
• End-of-life donation: Note that you will still need to specify burial or cremation. For organ donation, the individual must be in acceptable health and have signed an organ donor card. Alternately, next-of-kin can donate organs unless the decedent has specifically requested otherwise. For donation to science or school, an individual needs to be accepted in advance.

Funeral funds

• Location of funeral funds and legal access for your designated funeral representative
• Location of pre-paid contract (if any)
• Military discharge papers and benefits (if any)

Funeral service

• Whether you want a funeral service or memorial service (i.e. not immediately upon death)
• Whether you want your remains to be present at the funeral. If so, whether you want an open or closed casket.
• Whether you want to be embalmed. If you plan for your remains to be present at your funeral, embalming will most likely be required. Note that embalming does not preserve a body long term.
• Your religious organization (or any relevant affinity-based membership)
• Requests for special location, readings, music, refreshments, flowers, etc.
• Names and contact information for death notification

Memorial

• Whether you want an obituary, where to post it (newspaper, alumni publication, social media, memorial websites) and what to include
• Charitable organizations that you would like to ask loved ones, friends and acquaintances to donate to in honor of your memory

Final resting place

• For burial: the type of casket you want, whether to have a burial vault (may be required by some cemeteries), and where you want to be interred
• For cremation: the type of container you want and any wishes you have for the final disposition of your ashes (buried, scattered or stored)
• Any wishes you have for a marker (may be restricted by the cemetery) or other physical memorial

Accompanying documentation

• Birth certificate
• Military discharge papers
• Plot or niche deed
• List of contacts to notify
• Contact information for employer (if any)
• Social media and email account credentials

Document format

There is no official funeral plan form. Use whatever format you deem best. Your plan should be accessible to your designated representative. It is highly recommended that you discuss your funeral plan with your designated representative to answer any questions.

Resources

The non-profit Funeral Consumers Alliance offers a funeral planning kit that includes a 16-page booklet that guides you through the creation of a funeral plan. The kit is available for a minimal fee at the Funeral Consumers Alliance website.