Burial Assistance Programs: Where Families Can Find Help

What burial assistance programs exist?

There is no single national burial assistance program. Help comes from several places, and each has its own rules. This table shows where to look first.

For a step-by-step plan that also covers savings, insurance and payment plans, see how to pay for a funeral.

County and city indigent burial programs

Many counties and some cities run an indigent burial program. "Indigent" means the person who died, and often the family, did not have the money to pay. These programs usually pay for a basic burial or cremation, often through a funeral home that has a contract with the county. Rules differ a great deal from place to place. Here are real examples of how local rules can work:

• New York City. The city's Office of Burial Services can pay up to $1,700 toward a funeral for a low-income New York City resident with no resources to pay. The application must be completed within 120 days of the death. The city also has rules about the total funeral bill, so read its page before signing a contract.
• Travis County, Texas. The county has provided burial services at no cost to eligible people who died in the county or lived there. Families start with a written referral from one of the county's contracted funeral homes. The county's web page is marked expired, so call to confirm the current program.
• Mobile County, Alabama. The county says that not having life insurance or a burial policy does not, by itself, make someone indigent. A person who had a prepaid burial plan, a burial plot or burial insurance benefits is not eligible for its indigent burial program.

Common things local programs ask about:

• Where the person lived and where they died.
• The income, bank accounts and other assets of the person who died, and sometimes of the household or legally responsible relatives.
• Whether there is any life insurance, burial insurance, prepaid funeral plan or burial plot.
• ID, proof of relationship, and the person's Social Security number. Veterans may be asked for a DD214.

Ask the county before you sign anything with a funeral home. Some programs will not help after private arrangements are made, or if the total bill goes over a set amount.

How to find burial assistance near you

1. Call your county social services or human services office and ask, "Do you have a burial assistance or indigent burial program?" If the county does not, ask whether the city or state does.
2. If the death was handled by a medical examiner or coroner, ask that office too. Some counties run their program there.
3. Ask a local funeral director. Funeral homes often know which programs exist nearby and which homes take county cases.
4. Dial 211 to reach a local information and referral line that can point you to local help.
5. If the person was a veteran, ask the VA and the funeral home about VA burial benefits at the same time.
6. Write down who you spoke to, the date, and any deadline you were given.

FEMA funeral assistance: disaster deaths only

FEMA funeral assistance is part of FEMA's disaster help for individuals. It is available only when a death was caused, directly or indirectly, by a federally declared disaster, such as a major flood or hurricane, and the death happened in the declared area. FEMA lists funeral and burial costs among the needs its Other Needs Assistance program may cover after a declared disaster.

• FEMA does not pay costs already covered by insurance, VA, Social Security or other help for the same need.
• Apply at DisasterAssistance.gov or call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362.
• FEMA may ask for a death certificate or a statement from a medical examiner or coroner linking the death to the disaster, plus funeral receipts.

COVID-19 funeral assistance is closed. FEMA's COVID-19 funeral assistance page says the deadline to apply has passed. It covered expenses from January 20, 2020, through September 30, 2025. FEMA does not pay funeral costs for deaths that are not tied to a declared disaster.

VA, Social Security, SSI and Medicaid

• VA burial benefits. Eligible veterans may qualify for a burial allowance, burial in a national cemetery, a headstone or marker, and a burial flag. Amounts and rules depend on the situation. See VA burial benefits.
• Social Security. The only death payment is a one-time $255, paid to an eligible spouse or, in some cases, a child. It is not paid to the funeral home. See Social Security death benefits.
• SSI. SSI pays nothing at death. Its rules let a person set aside up to $1,500 for burial, plus burial spaces, without losing SSI. See SSI burial funds.
• Medicaid. Medicaid is health coverage and generally does not pay for funerals. Some states run separate burial help for people who were on Medicaid or public assistance, so ask your state or county. Each state also sets its own rules for burial funds and prepaid funeral arrangements when deciding Medicaid eligibility. Check with your state Medicaid office before you prepay a funeral or buy a policy.
• Medicare. Medicare does not pay for funerals. See does Medicare pay for funerals.

Is there free cremation?

There is no general free cremation program. Some families do get cremation at no cost or reduced cost through these routes:

• County indigent programs. Many local programs provide a basic cremation for eligible people.
• Body donation to a medical school. Many university programs pay for cremation after their study is complete and return the remains to the family. Terms differ: for example, Wake Forest says it covers cremation and return of the remains but the family pays for transport, while Western Michigan's program says there is no cost for transport within 50 miles, cremation, or shipping the remains in the continental U.S. Programs can decline a body, and the return of remains can take a long time.
• VA. Eligible veterans may be buried, or have their cremated remains placed, in a national cemetery.

If you are paying yourself, direct cremation usually costs less than other options. See cremation cost and cremation vs. burial.

Crime victim compensation

If someone died as a result of a crime, the family may be able to get help from a crime victim compensation program. Every state has one, funded in part by the federal Office for Victims of Crime. Funeral and burial costs are among the expenses these programs may repay. Contact the program in the state where the crime happened. Rules, limits and deadlines vary by state.

What happens if you can't afford a funeral?

You still have options. Start with the county, use your rights under the FTC Funeral Rule to get itemized prices, and consider direct cremation or immediate burial. If no one claims the body, the county or medical examiner usually arranges a basic burial or cremation, but the family may have less say in the arrangements.

Before paying, check for money the person may have left. Our guide to finding a lost life insurance policy explains the no-cost NAIC Life Insurance Policy Locator.

Example (hypothetical, not real data): A daughter learns her father had no savings and no insurance. She calls the county, which has an indigent burial program. Before signing with a funeral home, she gets the county's application and the list of contracted funeral homes, so the arrangements meet the program's rules.

If you are planning ahead for yourself or a parent, a small life insurance or burial insurance policy can help pay final costs. See burial insurance for someone else or what final expense insurance covers.