FAQs

The Funeral Rule requires every funeral home to have a General Price List. It is a written, itemized price list of all the items and services the funeral home offers. You have the right to purchase funeral goods and services separately. You do not have to accept a package that includes items you do not want.

The General Price List is a key tool for comparing funeral costs in your area. You should be able to pick up a GPL without giving personal information. You can also call to inquire about pricing. Funeral directors must give you price information on the telephone if you ask, and you don’t have to provide your personal information first. That lets you do basic comparison shopping before you sit down in a conference room.

The Federal Trade Commission enforces the Funeral Rule and provides a helpful guide for consumers: Shopping for Funeral Services.

The Funeral Consumers Alliance strongly advises against pre-paying for a funeral. Pre-planning is recommended, but pre-paying has some problems. If you move far away, or die while traveling, or change your mind (from body burial to cremation, for example), there may be difficulties in transferring or refunding the money in your pre-paid contract. If you do prepay, be sure to tell your family WHERE to find your contract. (In Massachusetts, funeral homes are NOT allowed to hold the pre-paid money; they keep a record of your “pre-need” request, but the funds to pay for it go to a bank or trust or insurance company.)

Unless Medicaid requires you to “spend down” your own money to qualify for benefits, you’re better off planning ahead without paying ahead.

Setting aside funds for your funeral is wise. Invest in an interest-bearing account yourself. Choose an investment that is safe and that can be changed or cashed in if your needs change. A “pay-on-death” account at a bank is one option. For more information, see Funeral Consumers Alliance webpage on Pre-Planning & Pre-Paying.

This is a hard question to answer. But asking now, while you’re still alive and able to seek solutions, is better than waiting. We hope that some of the information shared here will be helpful.

In Massachusetts, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) and the Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) have roles in the disposition of unidentified or unclaimed bodies, working with contacted funeral homes. DTA can provide up to $1,100 to the funeral home for costs that do not exceed a cap of $3500.

A no-cost alternative is to donate your body to a Massachusetts medical school for educational purposes. You must register in advance with their Anatomical Gift Program, signing forms giving permission. At the time of your death, someone would need to call the AGP quickly, so they could fetch the body promptly (within 24 hrs). There are some restrictions; they have the right to refuse the gift, depending on their needs and on the condition of the body at the time.

The national Funeral Consumers Alliance (FCA) website has a helpful page: Financial Assistance for Final Arrangements: Where to inquire for assistance with final arrangements.

Here are some resources on this website:

• Financial Resources
• Tips for saving money

In 2020, the Massachusetts FCA groups co-hosted a forum titled, “Raising the Alarm About Bodies in Limbo” That forum motivated some volunteers to create the Equitable Disposition Alliance (EDA), an organization currently researching and documenting indigent disposition programs around the country. In January 2026, EDA launched their database with over 90 entries; there is more work to be done, and they welcome volunteers. The Funeral Consumers Alliance of Georgia has put a priority now on Indigent Burial and has posted helpful advice for people seeking assistance.

Green burial is a natural, environmentally-friendly approach to death care. It places the body directly in the Earth, without embalming, and using only biodegradable materials. Green burial is not a new method. It’s a return to how humans buried their dead for generations, and how many cultures bury their dead today. Some call it “natural” burial.

See Green Burial Massachusetts for more information, including a searchable database of cemeteries with information about which ones allow green burial.

Direct cremation occurs without a formal viewing of the body, visitation or ceremony with body present. Typically, funeral homes offer a direct cremation package which includes removal of the body from the place of death, completion of state-required forms, preparation of the body (e.g., removing a pace-maker), transporting the body to the crematory after a required 48-hour delay. The price of the actual cremation and the Medical Examiner’s fee may be listed separately, depending on the funeral home. Direct cremation is often the least expensive means of disposition.

In Massachusetts, there are no state laws controlling where you may keep or scatter cremated remains (commonly called “ashes,” but really composed of crushed bone). Ashes may be stored in a crypt, niche, grave, or container at home. If you wish to scatter them, you have many options. Use common sense, respect property rights, and refrain from scattering in places where they would be obvious to others. There is no public health risk involved in scattering ashes, which are sterile. However, the remains are very alkaline (salty) and can adversely affect plants, affecting the pH of the soil.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) does have specific rules about scattering at sea or in waterways. For detail, visit the EPA page, Burial at Sea.