Title: Funeral costs | State Library of NSW
Headings: Chapter 17: Funeral costs
Chapter 17: Funeral costs
Organisations
Direct committal
Paying accounts
Children's funerals
Headstones and monuments
Destitute funerals
Returning deceased person to the area of residence
Attendance by relatives
Complaints about contracted funeral director
Financial assistance for funerals
Centrelink payments
Carer payments
Death of a child
Department of Veterans' Affairs
Commemoration
Local Health District
Pensioner associations and registered clubs
Trade unions
Health insurance schemes
Voluntary agencies
Financial institutions
Insurance - motor vehicle accidents
Workcover
Superannuation funds
Funeral funds and benefits

Content: Different companies may charge quite differently for apparently identical services. A funeral director who provides a ‘basic funeral’ must inform all prospective customers of this option by giving them a written ‘basic funeral notice’ before entering into any funeral arrangement. The basic funeral notice specifies and lists all the services provided and their cost, including the costs of disbursements. If a customer wants to arrange a non-basic funeral, the funeral director must give them an itemised written quote, specifying each of the goods and services that will be provided and their costs, including the estimated costs of the necessary disbursements and any other disbursements. Direct committal
This is a burial or cremation with no one in attendance. It is cheaper than a basic funeral. Paying accounts
Funeral directors usually ask for a deposit on their accounts, with the balance due immediately after the funeral. This can usually be negotiated with the director, but if accounts are left unpaid for a long period of time, the funeral director may charge interest on the amount outstanding. Prices for funerals vary greatly depending on the fees for the cemetery or crematorium, and what families request. Burials are generally a bit more expensive than cremations.