FUNERAL 
EXPENSES

Naturally you will be given time to consider every decision, so that you can create a ceremony which gives full value and importance to the wishes of the family and the deceased. We are personally available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to help you. We will help tailor a funeral to fit your financial budget and wishes by discussing all the options available and we will provide a detailed estimate of all the potential costs involved.

Our fees will be itemised and include:

Professional Service Charge

With our emphasis on personal family service, this charge represents our personal attention and administration throughout the funeral, including: 

• Our 24 hour advice.
• Advice and guidance on the personalisation of the funeral to reflect the individual and the wishes of the family.
  
• Assistance with completion of the statutory paperwork for the funeral.
  
• Advice on legal and funeral related procedures including registration of the death, insurance/DWP claims and probate.
  
• Liaison with clergy, celebrants, crematorium, cemetery, H M Coroner, doctors surgeries and others.
  
• Compiling and placement of newspaper notices in local and national newspapers.
  
• Receipt, acknowledgement and distribution of charitable donations.
  
• Our MuchLoved online giving facility.
  
• Arranging for grave preparation and purchase (if applicable).
  
• Arranging for the removal of an existing memorial (if necessary).
  
• Advice on local reception facilities and local caterers.
  
• Advice on the selection of music, hymns and photo tributes.
  
• Assistance in ordering and the receipt and care of floral tributes.
  
• Contribution to our fixed overhead business costs.
  
• Payment of all fees and disbursements relating to the funeral.
  
• The personal attention of your experienced Funeral Director to discuss the planning of the funeral arrangements together with their availability throughout the time before the funeral.
  
• Attendance of your Funeral Director on the day of the funeral.

We pride ourselves in our continuity of service, it is our intention that your Funeral Director will personally look after you and your family throughout. Very occasionally this may not be possible, your Funeral Director will then introduce you to one of their experienced colleagues to look after you.

Vehicle Charges

This represents the use of our distinctive blue Mercedes Hearse for the conveyance of the coffin and blue uniformed professional staff to add a modern, yet traditionally stylish touch to all our funerals. We are also able to offer blue Mercedes S Class Saloons to transport family, if wished. Alternative vehicles can be arranged, subject to availability (see Vehicles) including Horse Drawn Hearse, Motorbike Hearse, 4×4 Land Rovers, VW Campers, Vintage and New Rolls Royces or different coloured vehicles. Simply contact us for more details.

Removal Charge

Conveying the deceased in a sensitive and dignified manner into our care from the place of death, using professionally trained members of the Richard Steel & Partners team and our specialist vehicle. Charge may vary with distance and time involved.

Care of the Deceased

Our professionally trained and dedicated team looking after the deceased once they arrive in our care until the day of the funeral (usually 7–21 days). Use of our modern and fully equipped mortuary facilities and the care for each individual. Including time for preparation and dressing in their own clothes selected by the family or in a gown provided by us. Included is the use of our beautifully appointed chapel of rest for viewing during normal office hours, by appointment. 

The Coffin

At Richard Steel & Partners we pride ourselves on selecting the very best partners with whom to work, and our coffin manufacturer/supplier relationships reflect the highest standards of craftsmanship that we expect for this central element of a funeral. It is important to us that you have a wide selection of high quality, reasonably priced coffins and caskets to choose from whether for a cremation or a burial. Our range includes: veneered and solid wood, bamboo, cane, wicker, seagrass, cardboard, colourful and somerset willow.

Other Services

These include printed orders of service, floral tributes, catering, and/or the final disposition of ashes after a cremation from a simple scattering to attending at a churchyard or cemetery for an interment with a solid oak casket.

Disbursements cover a wide range of different services not provided directly by the funeral director; examples include the fees charged by the crematorium, church, clergy/celebrant, doctors, gravediggers, newspapers, florists and cemeteries.

These fees, outside the control of your Funeral Director, are paid on your behalf and then itemised individually on the final funeral invoice. Examples of local disbursement charges are shown below.

Today, funerals have become much more personalised and we are accustomed to receiving enquiries regarding pipers, soloists, catering, marquees, sound systems, recording of the service, choirs, jazz bands, buglers and dove releases. Obviously this list is not exhaustive and if you are considering anything, please do not hesitate to ask us.

As experienced and long-established funeral directors, we can advise on a range of options, including:

Crematorium fees

• Local crematoria fees range from £987–£1,825
• Click to see further details of the range of local funeral venue options.

Burial fees 

• Church of England churchyards: from £594 (subject to status and permission)
• Magdalen Hill, Winchester : from £1,000–£5,000
• Shedfield, Bishop’s Waltham: from £354
• South Downs Natural Burial Ground, East Meon: from £4,261
• Michael’s Wood Natural Burial Ground, Cholderton: from £900
• West Hoe, between Bishop’s Waltham and Swanmore: from £390
• Preparation of grave (gravedigger’s fee): from £699

Other Fees

• Clergy fee: from £228
• Celebrant’s fee (humanist, civil, non-religious): from £200
• Removal, cleaning and refixing a headstone: from £475

Ashes Interments

• Chesil House (Memorial Garden): from £645 including grave preparation
• Church of England churchyards: from £192 excluding grave preparation
• Magdalen Hill Cemetery: from £633 to £3,167 (including preparation of grave, fees dependent upon depth of grave and home address of deceased/residency status)
• Shedfield Cemetery: from £153
• West Hoe Cemetery: from £161

Standardised Attended
Funeral

This is a funeral where family and friends have a ceremony or service for the deceased at the same time as they attend the burial or cremation. The Standardised Attended Funeral includes: collecting and transporting the deceased to our premises from a local hospital, nursing home or an address within a 15 mile radius; care of the deceased at our premises; a wood effect enviroboard coffin (fitted with wooden handles); viewing (if wished); provision of a hearse directly to the cemetery or crematorium, at a date and time agreed with your Funeral Director.
£2645 + disbursements

• Optional additional service (for the Standardised Attended Funeral only): In the interests of both preservation and preparation we often recommend that the embalming process be completed. This is advisable due to the timings between date of death and the funeral, and/or where a request is made to visit the deceased.
  £140

Direct Cremation
(Unattended)

• Where no funeral service or ceremony is required and the cremation takes place unattended with no mourners present, we can provide a reduced priced offering.
• The date and time of the funeral is entirely at the convenience of Richard Steel & Partners Ltd. Full payment, including disbursements is required in advance.
• Our Direct Cremation includes an inside office hours local removal^*, a basic coffin and transport directly to a local crematorium of our choice.

  £1998 (including cremation)

• ^* An ‘after hours’ collection and transportation of the deceased will add £150.
Doctor’s fees, if required, are additional.

With our extensive knowledge and long history of family service, we have been providing personalised affordable funerals to the local community since 1860. We will therefore help tailor the funeral to fit your financial budget and wishes by discussing all the options available and provide a detailed estimate of the potential costs involved. 

The overall cost of the funeral will be based on choices made by the family and the fees charged by third parties (which are called Disbursements).

The person who arranges the funeral and signs the estimate is legally responsible for paying for the funeral. 

If you are worried about how you will pay for the funeral please talk to us as we may be able to suggest ways to reduce any possible financial burden.

Payment

Traditionally, payment is made from the deceased’s estate. If there are sufficient funds available, an Executor of a Will or personal representative of the deceased can pass the invoice to the deceased’s bank and they will settle directly to the Funeral Director. Otherwise payment can be accepted by cheque, cash BACS (bank transfer) or credit/debit card.

Financial Assistance

There are a number of sources of financial assistance which may be available to help with payment for the funeral, naturally these are depending upon individual circumstances.

Life Insurance or Funeral Plan

The deceased may have made some provision in advance for their funeral, by buying either life insurance or a Funeral Plan. You should find documents confirming this with their personal papers.

Help from the Government – Bereavement Payment

If your husband, wife or civil partner dies, you could be entitled to a one-off, tax free Bereavement Payment of up to £2,000. To qualify you need to be under State Pension age and the deceased must have paid enough National Insurance contributions. For more information see: www.direct.gov.uk/bereavementbenefits.

Pension Scheme

If the person who has died was receiving a personal pension or a pension from their employer this may include provision for a payment upon their death, or provide an allowance for their next of kin. You should contact the pension provider to find out whether there is any allowance payable.

Trade Unions/Armed Services/Veterans

If the deceased was a member of the armed forces, a veteran or member of a trade union, they may be able to assist towards funeral expenses.

Help from the Government – DWP Funeral Payment

If you are in receipt of certain benefits, you may be able to claim a DWP Funeral Payment to help towards a funeral (Claim Form SF200) although any payment is unlikely to cover the whole funeral bill. The government will assess if it is reasonable for you to be expected to pay for the funeral and whether there are any other relatives who are able to contribute to the expenses. Calculations are based upon the applicant’s ability to pay, not the financial situation of the person who has died. A claim must be made within 3 months. 

The qualifying benefits are:

• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Pension Credit
• Housing Benefit
• The disability or severe disability element of Working Tax Credit
• One of the extra elements of Child Tax Credit

Universal Credit

You can find more information about DWP Funeral Payments at www.direct.gov.uk/benefits If you need any assistance with completing claim forms, the Citizens Advice Bureau may be able to help, or you can ask for an appointment at your local Job Centre Plus.