As God is my judge, Jesus Christ is my redeemer.
What does a funeral cost?
An explanation of our detailed Tax Invoice
It is often said, “Funerals are not cheap”. That being said, I can say there is a lot more involved than most people would even begin to realize. From collecting your loved one from place of passing to the final task of lodging the application for a Death Certificate. There is a lot of detailed discussion, organizing and logistics taking place behind the scenes.
The costing of a funeral is made up of two components.
Firstly, there is the Disbursements. These are the items and services organized external to the Funeral Home. Items such as medical papers, floral arrangements, clergy or celebrant, venue fees, newspaper notices, cemetery or crematorium costings, printing.
Secondly there are the associated Funeral Directors costs. These included funeral directors service fee, mortuary transfer, mortuary storage and preparation, coffin, name plate, memorial book, hearse and mourning cars, funeral staff required on the day of service.
Typical Pricing
A more detailed explaination of costs.
Disbursements
the following is a brief description of the breakup of the services provided and a guide to costing involved.
Celebrant
The chosen celebrant is required to liaise with the family members and build a service that reflects your loved one’s life. Costing is approximately $385.00 = $500.00.
Clergy/Priest
The Clergy or Priest taking the service will often liaise with the family members and build a service that reflects your loved one’s life. At this point they will advise family of what content is acceptable to their particular faith and church service. Costing varies greatly and is often reflect ant upon your family’s relationship with the chosen minister. $000.00 - $800.00.
Church/Chapel Fees
Chosen venues have varying fees applicable. Your local church may require a donation to cover some costs. Some churches have set fees for the use of their facilities. Chapels based in crematorium facilities and cemeteries have varying fees. Dependant on your choice, your funeral director will make you aware of the actual costing's.
Attending Practitioner’s Cremation Certificate
The doctor issuing this certificate that is required for the cremation process may charge a fee of approximately $99.00-$110.00. In some cases, the issuing doctor may charge a lot more. Costing is approximately $99.00 - $250.00
Medical Referee’s Cremation Certificate
The independent doctor issuing this certificate that is required for the cremation process usually charges around $99.00. Costing is approximately $99.00
Floral Arrangements
In most cases it is flowers that add that something special to a funeral. Normally the funeral director will offer you guidance in what is known as the “casket cover”. This is the arrangement of flowers that adorns the lid of the coffin. It is something personal in that it can reflect what your loved on would like. It’s about the colour, the brightness, the fragrance. Or its very specifically about the type of flowers chosen having a special meaning.
You may wish to use your own florist, or someone your family has known for many years. It might even be something from your own garden. It’s personal and what has meaning to your family.
Most funeral directors will recommend a florist they work with and that they are satisfied with the quality and value of what is available.
As a guide a small casket cover is about $250.00, medium length is about $350.00 and large or full length is about $450.00 -$500.00
Printing Costs
What I have experience is that most people on arriving at a funeral service are looking for a hand-out or memorial booklet. Just something with your loved one's picture on it and offering guidance through the service that they can follow along with. There are a couple of options that I can suggest. In this day of computers and like-minded clever people, it’s not too difficult for someone in the family to produce a handout. This needs to be done in cooperation with your celebrant of clergy as to the content. These may then be printed of at Officeworks or Snap Printing or similar. If that is not an option or you simply just want someone else to look after it, then there are business that just do funeral stationery etc… Costing is variable as to the quantity, content and quality. Approximately $400.00 upwards.
Certified Death Certificate
A Death Certificate is required by law for a deceased person’s estate and affairs to be looked after following their passing. Application for a death certificate may be completed by your own family but normally is something that is assisted with and completed online by your funeral director.
In most cases the death has taken place in News South Wales, so the death is therefore required to be registered with New South Wales Births Deaths and Marriages. If a death has occurred in another Australian state, then the death registration has to be completed and registered in the same state. If the death has occurred overseas, then the death is registered within the same province and the death certificate issued then accompanies your loved one's coffin being repatriated to Australia.
Application may not be made until the deceased has been laid to rest or cremated. Costing is $60.00 non G.S.T. item.
Newspaper Death & Funeral Notices
Your family may wish to place a Death or, and Funeral Notice in the printed press. It may be about letting the community know who has passed away and when there is to be a service. It maybe just about publicly recording the passing of a loved one. Your funeral director can assist you with writing your notice and lodging it with the chosen publisher. You may also do this yourself and lodge it, but the publish will require verification with your funeral director. Costing: $200.00 - $500.00
Funeral Directing Fees
Funeral Directors Service Fee: The Funeral Directors Service Fee is what covers the associated office/clerical administration and associated facilities capable of organising a funeral service. Aspects covered start with the funeral arranger sitting down and advising and guiding your family in formulating the funeral service.
With the funeral arrangement complete the task of organizing all aspects starts to evolve. From liaising with authorities to organize to take into care and transfer your loved one and all associated documentation to our registered mortuary facility.
Next step is to liaise with your chosen venue and a minister/celebrant to a suitable day and time for the service. At this point we are now able to host a funeral service. Day and time confirmed it is than time to place your newspaper notices etc… The path continues with being available for families to come back with more questions and content. The supervision of the behind-the-scenes activities to ensure everything that has been asked for is on track to bring about the funeral service so desired. Costing: $1,650.00 - $3,300.00
Mortuary Ambulance Transfer
A properly purposed vehicle is required to collect and transfer your loved one from the place of death to a mortuary facility. The collection requires the funeral director liaising with the hospital or the coroner to seek permission to collect your loved one. The transfer staff on arrival at the facility are required to collect and check all paperwork associated with the deceased. Paperwork is checked for correctness, also noting any issues that may affect the funeral service. The deceased is then identified in accordance with procedures taking note of any valuables etc… Costing of transfer within the Sydney Metropolitan and Greater Western Sydney area vary from $440.00-$550.00 dependent on time of day and distance.
Mortuary Care & Dressing
All deceased are booked into our mortuary facilities at Bankstown taking note of all paperwork and valuables that have travelled with them. All deceased are always kept under refrigeration.
All deceased in our care, unless specifically requested not to, are bathed, prepared, dressed, and coffined in our purposed mortuary preparation room by a suitably qualified mortician prior to the funeral service. Costing: Basic preparation, dressing and coffining of body $440.00, if the deceased is required to be temporarily preserved due to the body being held for over 7 days or for other reasons necessary an additional fee of $175.00 is chargeable.
Hearse & Staff
A hearse suitably equipped, and staff are supplied on all services. The number of staff is tailored as to the service. A service held at a church facility requires typically four staff. A service at crematorium may only require two staff. In some other cases the service may require more staff due to the number of mourners, funeral location, and size of coffin.
Costing is from $715.00 for basic hearse including two staff. Each additional staff member is $220.00.
Sedan, Limousines
If you require the services of chauffeured cars, we can offer sedans seating four passengers and stretched limousines seating 8 passengers. Costing is based on a minimum.
3.5 hour hire and excludes tolls. Sedans are priced from $352.00 and stretched limousines from $550.00.
Coffins & Caskets
A coffin is a body shaped box, and a casket is a rectangular shaped box. All the timber coffins we offer are adequate for cremation and burial. The basic coffin we offer is made from particle board or MDF timber. The exterior finish is in gloss and colours are rosewood, maple, teak. All are fitted with handles and basic trimming fitted to the inside. These coffins present more than adequately for any service. Costing is $990.00.
We are able to offer other coffins both in style and sizes, Pricing is available on request.
Name Plate
It is a requirement that all coffins presented to a cemetery or crematorium are to be fitted with a name plate. No cemetery or crematorium staff open a coffin to identify a body, they rely on the name plate. The name engraved onto the name plate must be the same name that is on the MCCD issued by the doctor. If there are errors the cemetery or crematorium has the right to refuse the coffined body.
The name plate is used by all concerned to identify the coffined body. In the case of a burial it is there in the case should the coffin be required to be exhumed. For cremation purposes it is removed just prior to cremation and is placed on the associated cremation machine for the purposes of identifying the deceased’s ashes at the completion of the cremation process. The name plate remains with the ashes until they are collected or interred.
The funeral director may also add some other details to the name plate such as date of birth, date of death, age, or “Rest in Peace” or similar just to make it look a little more complete. Cost: $55.00
Memorial Book
A memorial book is offered at the service for all attendees to record their name. I like to personalize the book by creating a history page and individualizing all associated pages in the book. It serves as a record of the funeral service and those that were able to be a part of it. Costs: $132.00
Burial Costs (Interment)
There are normal two aspects to a burial of a coffin. Firstly, there is ownership of an existing grave or the purchase of a new grave. The second component is opening and closing a grave, or the digging. The purchase cost of a grave is dependant greatly on the cemetery chosen. Within the Sydney metropolitan area prices vary greatly from approximately $4,500.00 upwards. Opening and closing fees are approximately $2,500.00 - $3,000.00.
Outside the Sydney Metropolitan area some local council cemeteries are a lot more reasonably priced.
Scenario # 1: We would like the service in it's entirety at our local cemetery using their chapel facilities. Including all documentation, clergy/celebrant, chapel/cremation fees, floral casket cover, Death Certificate, Professional Fees, Mortuary transfer, dressing, hearse with four staff, coffin name plate & memorial book. Excludes all cemetery costs Typically Sydney cemeteries ate approx. $3,000.00 open & close fee, and chapel hire is from $400.00 dependant on cemetery. Costing from $5,450.00
Scenario # 2: We would like the service in it's entirety at our local church with a burial to follow at local cemetery. Excludes church & clergy fees. Including all documentation, floral casket cover, Death Certificate, Professional Fees, mortuary transfer, dressing, hearse with four staff, coffin name plate & memorial book. Excludes all cemetery costs Typically Sydney cemeteries ate approx. $3,000.00 open & close fee Costing from $5,750.00
Cremation Costs
Cremation normally falls into two categories. The first is a service that is only providing for the cremation of the coffined body. In this instance the coffined body is delivered to the crematorium for cremation purposes only. It is referred to as a No Service No Attendance (NSNA) There is no service component offered at the crematorium. Costing's range from $550.00 - $900.00 dependant on facility chosen.
This choice might be appropriate where the Funeral Service has been held entirety at a separate location such as your church or at a remote location, and the family don’t wish to attend the delivery to the crematorium.
The second category is where a cremation and chapel hire fee are combined. The coffined body is taken to your chosen crematorium facility with the intention of holding the funeral service within the crematoriums chapel facility, then followed later by the cremation to follow in same facility. The costing's in these instances range from $1,300.00 - $1,500.00 approximately.
Scenario # 1: We would like the service in it's entirety at our local crematorium. Including all documentation, clergy/celebrant, chapel/cremation fees, floral casket cover, Death Certificate, Professional Fees, Mortuary transfer, dressing, hearse with two staff, coffin name plate & memorial book. Costing from $6,600.00
Scenario # 2: We would like the service in it's entirety at our local church wit a No Service No Attendance cremation. This option excludes church and clergy fees. Including all documentation, floral casket cover, Death Certificate, Professional Fees, mortuary transfer, dressing, hearse with four staff, coffin name plate & memorial book. Costing from $6,450.00