A basic cremation package, usually listed on a funeral home's price list as direct cremation, covers the transfer of the body into the funeral home's care, the paperwork and permits, refrigeration during any state waiting period, the cremation itself in a simple container, and the return of the ashes in a plain temporary container. The national median price is about $2,200. What it does not cover is where the bill grows: death certificates, an urn, any viewing, and a list of fees that vary by funeral home. This guide explains what basic means, what is bundled, what is sold on top, and what to ask by phone before you choose.
What "basic" means on a General Price List
The federal FTC Funeral Rule requires every funeral home to have a General Price List and to show a price for direct cremation on it. The rule also requires the funeral home to state what that price includes and to offer an alternative container, meaning a cardboard or simple wood box, instead of a casket. So the word basic has a legal shape. Direct cremation on a price list means cremation without a viewing or ceremony, with the body present, before the cremation. Our guide to reading a price list shows where to find that line.
Beyond that shape, funeral homes bundle differently. One will include the crematory fee, the container, and one certified death certificate in the quoted price. Another will list the same price and itemize all three on top. The number on the website is not enough. You need the list of what it covers.
What is bundled and what is usually extra
| Usually included in a basic package | Usually charged on top |
|---|---|
| Transfer of the body within a local radius | Mileage beyond that radius |
| Basic services of the funeral director and staff | Certified copies of the death certificate, at state fees |
| Refrigeration during the state waiting period | Refrigeration by the day beyond the package allowance |
| Filing the death certificate and cremation permit | Medical examiner or coroner cremation permit fee, where the county charges one |
| Alternative container | Cremation casket or rental casket |
| The cremation | Crematory fee, if the funeral home lists it separately |
| Return of ashes in a temporary container | Urn, shipping of ashes, or delivery to the family |
| Identification viewing, witnessed cremation, oversized fee, pacemaker removal, expedited service |
Some of the extras are legitimate and unavoidable. State death certificate fees are set by the state, and a family usually needs several copies. A county medical examiner's cremation permit fee is a real charge in many places. Pacemakers must be removed before cremation for safety. None of that is padding.
Other extras are choices. An identification viewing, where the family sees the body briefly before cremation, is worth paying for if it helps and worth declining if not. A witnessed cremation matters in some faiths. An urn is a decision the family can make later and buy anywhere. Our cremation urn comparison covers the online sellers, and the funeral home must accept an urn you supply.
The upsells to watch for
Most funeral directors are honest. Some are on commission. The items that tend to appear on a basic cremation bill without being asked for are these.
- An urn from the funeral home's display, when the temporary container was all the family needed for now.
- A memorial package of printed folders, a guest book, and a video, when no service is planned at the funeral home.
- Embalming, which is never needed for a direct cremation and which the funeral home cannot perform without permission.
- A cremation casket in place of the alternative container, at several hundred dollars more.
- Extra death certificates beyond what the family will use. Five is usually enough. Ask what banks and insurers will actually require.
The Funeral Rule gives you the right to decline every one of these. Our guide to direct cremation explains the whole process from first call to receiving the ashes.
Where the cremation happens
Ask whether the funeral home owns its crematory. Many do not, and the body travels to a third-party crematory, sometimes in another town. That adds a transport leg and a crematory fee that may or may not be inside the package price. It also affects timing. A funeral home with its own crematory can usually return ashes within a few days of the waiting period ending. One that uses an outside crematory may take a week or more.
Questions to ask by phone
The Funeral Rule requires funeral homes to give prices over the phone, so this can be done in one sitting with three providers. Have a pen.
- What is your price for direct cremation, and exactly what does it include?
- Is the crematory fee included? Do you own the crematory, or where does the cremation take place?
- Is an alternative container included, and what is it made of?
- What radius does the transfer cover, and what is the per-mile charge beyond it?
- How many days of refrigeration are included, and what is the daily charge after that?
- What are the death certificate and permit fees in this county, and how many copies do you recommend?
- How long until the ashes are returned, and is there a charge for delivery or shipping?
- Can we bring our own urn? Can we see the body briefly before cremation, and at what cost?
Then ask for the General Price List by email. A funeral home that hesitates over any of these questions has told you something useful. State by state prices are on our cremation cost hub.
What a fair basic package looks like
A fair direct cremation quote includes the transfer within a stated radius, the professional services, the container, the cremation, refrigeration through the waiting period, and the return of the ashes, at or near the state's median. It itemizes the death certificates and any county permit fee at cost, and it lists an urn as optional. It does not include embalming or a memorial package unless the family asked for them. If the quote in front of you looks like that, you are being treated fairly. If it does not, the questions above will show where.
Questions families ask
What does a basic cremation cost near me?
Around the national median of $2,200, though state medians run from under $1,800 to over $3,000. Our state cremation cost pages give the local figure, and three phone calls give the real one.
Is an urn included in a basic cremation?
Usually not. The ashes come back in a temporary container. An urn can be bought anywhere, later, and the funeral home must accept it.
Is embalming part of a basic cremation?
No. Embalming serves no purpose before a direct cremation, and the funeral home may not embalm without permission.
Why are death certificates extra?
The state charges a fee per certified copy. The funeral home orders them for you and passes the fee through.