What to do when financial resources are lacking, and the organization of the funeral has not been anticipated? Whether it is a cremation or a burial, this financial burden often adds to the ordeal of grief that families are going through.
The average cost of organizing a funeral in France is €4,730. That is more than three times the average amount of retirement pension which is €1,400, according to a Simplifia study in collaboration with Silver Alliance, on the cost of death in 2023. 60% of relatives responsible for organizing funerals are women (59%), aged over 60, with limited income.
To finance your funeral, there are several possibilities. During his or her lifetime, the deceased person may have opted for a “funeral” insurance contract and named a beneficiary to receive the amount allocated for the funeral or burial. If this is not the case, it is often the property left by the deceased loved one that can help cover funeral costs.
Movement of the body, preparation of the body, type of ceremony… “Prices for funeral services vary enormously from one provider to another“, warns Ludovic Fernandez, lawyer at the Marseille branch of UFC-Que Choisir. The consumer association therefore advises to anticipate to “make detailed quotes“, specifies the lawyer.
Since 2010, there has been a mandatory quote model for funeral directors, to allow consumers to compare more easily.
What help and how to access it?
Payment of funeral costs for a job seeker : under certain conditions, beneficiaries of the CPAM can for example receive capital if the deceased was an employee or job seeker in the three months preceding their death. This allowance is paid provided that the deceased died during compensation or during a period of deferred compensation.
The amount paid is equivalent to 120 times the daily allowance that the deceased person received, or was in the process of receiving.
Withdrawing funds from the bank account: According to UFC Que-Choisir, heirs can also withdraw up to €5,000 of funds from the deceased's bank account to cover funeral costs, provided they can provide proof of an invoice. Even if bank accounts are closed, banks do not have the right to refuse.
Some mutual insurance companies also offer death cover, and the National Old Age Insurance Fund (CNAV) can contribute to the costs via the remaining pensions owed to the deceased.
Reimbursement of funeral costs for a retiree: for the death of a retiree, the person who pays the funeral costs can ask to be reimbursed by the Cnav, if it owes money to the deceased, an amount which can reach up to 2,286, €74.
Death benefit paid for the death of a public official: another specificity for civil servants, their heirs can ask the deceased's employer administration for the payment of a death benefit, specifies the economie.gouv.fr website. The amount is calculated and varies according to the age of the deceased at death, in relation to the legal retirement age.
Help from the town hall: Finally, for people whose resources are insufficient to cover the costs, it is possible to ask the town hall to cover the funeral costs free of charge. In this case, the town hall in question assesses the insufficiency of resources and chooses the funeral home.
