Funeral Planning Checklist
Everything you need to pre-plan your own funeral — and everything your family needs to arrange when the time comes. The more you document now, the less they carry later.
Families who have no documented funeral wishes spend an average of $2,000–$4,000 more on funeral services than families who pre-planned. Not because they overspend intentionally — but because grief-driven decisions, made under time pressure, almost always err toward more rather than less.
Pre-planning doesn't mean pre-paying. It means documenting your wishes so clearly that your family can honor them without guessing. It takes about an hour. It can save your family thousands of dollars and weeks of conflict.
Part 1: Pre-Planning Your Own Funeral
Complete this section and store it somewhere your family can find. MyLifeLedger has a dedicated section for final wishes.
⚱️ Body Disposition
- Burial or cremation — your clear preference
- If cremation: what should happen to your ashes (scatter, interment, kept by family)
- If burial: preferred cemetery, whether a plot is already purchased, plot location/deed
- Organ and tissue donation wishes — and whether you're registered
- Body donation to science — if applicable, contact the institution in advance
🕊️ Type of Service
- Traditional funeral service, graveside service, or memorial service (after cremation)
- Religious or secular — preferred officiant or celebrant
- Where the service should be held (church, funeral home, outdoor location, other)
- Viewing / visitation: open casket, closed casket, or no viewing
- Private family-only or open to the public
- Virtual attendance option for remote family or friends
🎵 Service Details
- Music — specific songs, hymns, or genres
- Readings — scripture, poetry, literature, or specific passages
- Who you'd like to speak or deliver a eulogy
- Photos or slideshow — where to find your preferred photos
- Flowers: specific preferences or charity donation in lieu
- Dress code for the service (formal, casual, colorful)
- Any specific cultural or religious traditions to observe
💰 Financial Preparations
- Life insurance policies — where they are and who to contact
- Pre-paid funeral contract — funeral home name and location
- Which account should cover funeral expenses if no pre-payment
- Whether you have a payable-on-death (POD) account set up for this purpose
- Any military benefits (VA burial allowance, burial in national cemetery)
- Union or fraternal organization death benefits
✍️ Obituary Information
- Draft of an obituary — or key facts your family should include
- Your preferred photo for the obituary
- List of survivors to be named
- Educational and career highlights
- Community involvement, memberships, or affiliations
- Charitable organizations to suggest for memorial donations
Part 2: What Your Family Needs to Do After a Death
This is the checklist your family will use. Share it with them now, or store it in your ledger so they can find it.
🚨 Immediate (First 24–48 hours)
- Get a legal pronouncement of death from a physician or hospice nurse
- Call the funeral home to arrange transport of the body
- Notify immediate family and close friends
- Locate the will — it may contain funeral instructions
- Find life insurance policies and document policy numbers
- Determine who will be the estate executor or administrator
- Secure the home and valuables if the deceased lived alone
📋 Days 2–7: Death Certificates & Arrangements
- Obtain at least 10–12 certified death certificates (more than you think you need)
- Plan the funeral or memorial service
- Write and submit the obituary
- Notify employer and request any life insurance or death benefits through work
- Notify Social Security Administration (they may reclaim the last payment)
- Notify the VA if the deceased was a veteran
- Cancel or transfer any prescriptions or medical equipment
⚖️ Week 2–4: Financial & Legal
- File life insurance claims (requires certified death certificates)
- Notify banks and financial institutions — accounts may be frozen
- File for probate if assets require it (an attorney can assist)
- Cancel credit cards and notify creditors
- Transfer or close digital accounts (email, social media, subscriptions)
- Forward mail to the executor's address
- File the final income tax return (due same year as death)
- Search for unclaimed property or unknown accounts at missingmoney.com
What to Expect Funeral Costs to Be
* 2023 data, NFDA. Costs vary significantly by region and funeral home.
📍 The Most Important Step: Put It Somewhere Your Family Can Find
The most complete funeral plan is worthless if your family can't access it. A paper document in a home safe your family doesn't know about is nearly as bad as no plan at all.
MyLifeLedger has a dedicated Final Wishes section where you can document all of the above — and share access with the family members who will need it. When the time comes, they open their ledger and everything is already there.
Store Your Funeral Wishes in MyLifeLedger →Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most important thing to pre-plan about a funeral?
Your body disposition preference — burial vs. cremation — is the single most important decision, because it drives everything else. Once your family knows this, the rest of the planning flows from it. Document this first, in a legal directive or in a tool like MyLifeLedger, and make sure your family knows where to find it.
Is a pre-paid funeral a good idea?
It depends. Pre-paying locks in today's prices and relieves your family of financial decisions during grief. But it also ties up money and may not be transferable if you move. A middle ground: pre-plan every detail without pre-paying, and document clearly which financial account or life insurance policy should cover the costs. This gives your family full instructions without locking money away.
How many death certificates will my family need?
Plan for at least 10–12 certified copies. Each institution — bank, insurance company, government agency — typically requires an original certified copy, not a photocopy. Running out of death certificates causes real delays in settling an estate. They cost $10–25 each, so order more than you think you'll need.
What's the difference between a funeral and a memorial service?
A funeral typically involves the body present (either in a casket or as cremated remains) and often occurs within days of the death. A memorial service doesn't involve the body and can be held weeks or months later — common when cremation is chosen, when family is geographically dispersed, or when a more planned celebration of life is wanted. Neither is inherently more or less appropriate — document your preference clearly.
Store everything your family will need — in one place.
Funeral wishes, account locations, insurance policies, final messages. MyLifeLedger organizes it all and shares it securely with your family.
Start Your Free Ledger →Free to start · $39/yr Premium · No credit card