Your Funeral Guy: #4 of Five things You need to know before shopping for a funeral.

Lower the Average Cost of a Funeral Watch Nondeclinable Fee! The key to a lower cost funeral is finding a funeral home or service  that has a low professional service fee or sometimes referred to as the “basic funeral services fee.” It can be said that you cannot come in under the average cost of a funeral if there is a high professional service  fee. This post covers #4 of Five things You need to know before shopping for a funeral.

The professional service fee can range from as little as $695 to as much as nearly $3,000, Some say it ranges from $700.00 USD to $1775  and it has to be paid — it’s “indeclinable.” So it is imperative when shopping for a funeral to find  services in the lower or end of the range.

The thing to always remember is that your total cost will be this fee plus the cost of the other services . If you want a direct  burial or cremation, choose the home with the lower up-front basic services fee. It is the best choice  not subsidize services you don’t use. If you want a more traditional high cost  funeral, look at the packages after looking at the professional service fee.

Remember A “basic services fee” will be added to any items purchased.

The funeral director and his or her staff usually provide basic funeral services and the specific situations listed below.

• Direct burial prices - This usually  ranges from $725–$2635.
• Direct cremation prices -This can range from $425–$2,255.
• Receiving the remains from another funeral home -This can range in price from $440–$2,040.
• Forwarding the remains to another funeral home- This can range in price from $780–$2,520.
• Use of funeral directors and staff at another location. $50.00 USD per hour- S3,000 USD. This includes church, VFW Hall, or community facility. If the funeral director charges the same fee for use at your church or their funeral home, leave for there is no lower cost funeral there.( If you stay you will come in on the high end of average funeral cost at church.)
• Funeral Costs generally occur on the General Price List or GPL which must be given to you over the phone or in person at funeral or cremation  facility.

In this post we have covered #4 of  5 things You need to know before shopping for a funeral. 1). The basics of the funeral process.2) The two contracts at every funeral. 3). The basics of the funeral rule. 4). The No Decline Basic Services Fee. 5. How to Read a General Price List (GPL)

Blog by Your Funeral Guy, Funeral director, author.

This will help you with your funeral costs /expenses and your finances and personal expenses.

More information like this can be found in “Rest in Peace Insiders Tips to the Cost Less Stress Funeral.”