Pauper's funeral is an informal term for a Public Health Funeral. This is a funeral provided for free by the local council when there's no next of kin willing or able to pay for the funeral themselves.
If you're worried about funeral costs, our pared-back funeral services offer more affordable send-offs. Or you can pay for your funeral in advance spread over monthly instalments with a funeral plan to take the pressure of paying for a funeral away from your family.
The term pauper's funeral is sometimes mixed up with direct cremation but they are two different types of funeral.
A direct cremation is an unattended cremation which offers a low cost alternative to a traditional funeral. But cost is not the only reason people choose to have a direct cremation.
Having a funeral arranged by the local authority is not something that people can choose to have but happens only when no other arrangements can be made.
What's included with a pauper's funeral can vary from region to region. There are no set rules about what has to happen as long as the funeral is respectful to the deceased and the bereaved.
A Public Health Funeral will follow the below process.
A pauper's funeral is state-funded. If no one else is taking on the arrangements, the local council will arrange and pay for the funeral as part of the Public Health Act 1984. This act is there to ensure the health of the general public and avoid the spread of disease.
It also makes sure that everyone, regardless of their circumstances in life, receives a dignified cremation or burial.
Where no alternative arrangements can be made, the council is responsible for any death in their area, even if the deceased did not live there. This could be someone in care, a homeless person, someone who lived alone or anyone who doesn't have the financial means to pay.
A person eligible for a pauper's funeral will have no means to pay for the funeral themselves and one of the below:
If a next of kin is found, they need to provide a written statement to the local authority confirming their choice to step down from the responsibility of arranging and paying for the funeral.
As well as a pauper's funeral, there are several other means to help with funeral costs. You may like to consider these sources of support if you're worried about how you'll pay for a funeral for a loved one or yourself.
If you already receive financial aid from the government, you may be entitled to additional support to help pay for a burial, cremation and associated funeral costs.
Regardless of your finances and earnings, if the person who has passed away was your spouse, you may also be entitled to claim a Bereavement Support Payment.
There may be charities who can aid you financially, especially if your loved one was part of a specific profession like the military or was affected by a specific illness or condition during their life.
A simplified attended cremation with a short service and no costly extras may still be affordable if a traditional extravagant funeral isn't.
Many meaningful touches like listening to music, giving readings and sharing memories don't cost anything.
Paying for a funeral ahead of time with a funeral plan lets you spread the cost over several years via monthly instalments.
This can open up your funeral choices and make a funeral which would previously be out of budget affordable.
Let those close to your loved ones share the funeral costs if they are willing and able to do so. The more people who chip in the more manageable the costs.
You could even consider crowdfunding or asking for support from organisations your loved one was involved with in life.
The cheapest funeral option is an unattended direct cremation. Choosing a direct cremation service gives you time to save and bring family and friends together for a memorial service once you're ready to do so financially and emotionally.
The amount the Funeral Expenses Payment covers varies as it depends on your personal financial situation and whether the person who has passed away has any money or assets which can be used to pay for the funeral.
Some of the things the payment may help to cover are:
However, the payment usually won't be enough to cover all funeral costs so you may still have to pay for aspects yourself.
Our cremation funerals offer respect and dignity for your loved one at a low cost by keeping the arrangements simple.
Find out more about our unattended and attended services below. Alternatively, you can view our CMA standardised price list.
Our unattended cremations take place with no service or mourners present at one of our peaceful crematoriums. We collect and care for your loved one, transport them to the chapel on the day of cremation and following their cremation return or scatter their ashes on your request.
Our attended cremation offers the same fuss-free farewell as our unattended service but also gives you a final chance to say goodbye in person. You can have up to 8 people attend a 10 minute service or up to 20 people attend a 20 minute service led by the family.
A funeral plan can bring you peace of mind that funeral costs are covered. You can take out a plan for yourself or for anyone else whose funeral arrangements you'll be taking responsibility for in future.
As well as paying in a single payment, all of our funeral plans offer the flexibility to pay monthly instead over 12 months, 5 years or 10 years. If you don't have the money to pay upfront, spreading the cost means you can still get the funeral you want.
Our funeral plans guide gives you the full details about our low cost prepaid cremation plans. We have funeral plans for direct cremation funerals, small attended cremations and full length celebrant-led funeral services.
Request your guide by email or post to find out more about what's included with each of our fuss free funeral plans and the flexible payment options available.
Get your free guideA pauper's funeral gives the deceased's family and loved ones no control over the arrangements so whilst they may be able to attend this is not guaranteed. They are unlikely to have any control over the funeral date and time which may prevent some mourners from attending.
If the service is attended and no friends or relatives can be found or wish to be present, a representative from the council may attend instead.
The funeral service will likely be short but respectful. Wherever possible, effort will be made to respect and observe the deceased's religious beliefs with the choice of officiant and funeral type. Similarly, a non-religious funeral will most likely be provided if that was the deceased's wish.
Following a pauper's funeral, the ashes may be scattered, buried or returned to the family but this can vary by area and depends on the local council.
The family of the person who has passed away may not have a choice about what happens.
Ashes may be scattered either at the crematorium where the cremation has taken place or at another garden of remembrance owned by the local authority.
Similarly, the ashes may be buried at the crematorium. This is sometimes referred to as interment.
Some local councils allow the ashes to be collected by the next of kin.
There may be a fee to collect the ashes or they may need to be collected within a set time frame. The person collecting will also be responsible for their own travel costs.
A pauper's grave is the term sometimes used to refer to a common grave. This is a grave plot owned by the burial ground rather than the family of the deceased.
A deceased person who has had a Public Health Funeral burial will likely be buried in this type of grave. The grave is not owned by the deceased's family and they have no exclusive right of burial.
At Distinct Cremations, we can help you with low cost funeral arrangements for your loved one that protect their dignity and individuality.
Call us on 01543 212000 to speak to one of our patient and comforting funeral arrangers or see the guidance below about how to reduce funeral costs.
Find out more about what's included with our attended and unattended funeral services to help you decide whether a Distinct Cremations funeral is right for your loved one.
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Learn more about all of the options for paying for a funeral. Being aware of all the available options can help you decide which way of paying suits you and your family best.
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