Who’s Responsible?
When a loved one or a friend dies and a funeral needs to be planned, the people they leave behind often have a difficult conversation deciding who is going to be paying for the funeral. To make matters worse, those decisions need to be made when everyone is grieving and mourning the loss of a loved one.
Before deciding who is going to pay, you have to consider why it’s a difficult decision to make. Paying for a funeral these days can be costly depending on all of the options surrounding how the person wanted to be buried.
5 Entities That Might Be Responsible For Paying For the Funeral
There are actually several different entities that might be responsible for the costs, and several that might be able to at least help pay for the funeral.
The Deceased
The estate of the deceased is ultimately expected to pay for all funeral costs. In many cases, a person will have set up a few different arrangements to pay for their own funeral, including a prepaid funeral plan, set up through a local funeral home, like The Gardens of Boca Raton. A prepaid funeral plan will usually take care of all necessary funeral and burial expenses.
If there were no prepaid plans or life insurance policy, funeral expenses will be paid out of the deceased’s estate. If there was a will, the benefactors named in the will, as well as the executor, would be expected to pay for the funeral.
The Surviving Spouse and Children
If no preferences were made beforehand by the deceased, many times the family will make the important decisions surrounding the funeral and burial. Those decisions might also be based on the funds available. Also, if no prepaid funeral plan was in place, then a life insurance policy could pay for the funeral expenses.
The Surviving Family
If the person wasn’t married and didn’t have children, their parents, siblings, cousins and other relatives might be able to pay for the funeral. A loan could also be taken out by a member of the family, and everyone could work toward paying it down later on.
U.S. Department For Veterans Affairs
Often overlooked is the fact that if the deceased was a veteran of the United States military, they could be eligible to have their burial and funeral costs covered by the VA. For more information about this, visit the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs website.
Social Security
Depending on the eligibility requirements for the deceased and the surviving family members, the Social Security Administration might make a payment of $255 that could be used to go toward the funeral expenses.
Has a friend or loved one died recently in the South Florida area, prompting you to look into who might be responsible for paying for the funeral? Talk with the people at The Gardens of Boca Raton Cemetery & Funeral Services, and see what they can do for you. Call them at (561) 989-9190, or visit them at their offices on North Military Trail in Boca Raton, Florida.
