Help with Fees

Simplicity & Transparency

Mears Family Funerals is committed to being open and transparent about the cost of our funeral services, from our professional fees to the price of the range of coffins and caskets we offer, our limousines, our additional services and products and, where possible, third–party fees and disbursements that we will pay on your behalf such as the cremation fee, doctors’ fees, officiants’ fees etc.

We are fully compliant with the CMA requirements in the Funeral Market Investigation Order 2021 which came into effect on 16th September 2021. Standardised Price Lists are displayed in the windows of all our branches, with copies and further information available in each branch and on our websites.

Disbursements

Disbursements are the fees that we have to pay out to third parties such as cemeteries, crematoria, churches, clergy, organists and doctors. We clearly identify these items in our quotations and are charged at cost.

Payment Terms

Mears Family Funerals provide different options to pay for a funeral, all of which are listed below. We will provide you with a fully itemised estimate at the time of the arrangement and this estimate will need to be paid in full five days prior to the funeral.

A final invoice, which may include any adjustments to the services made after the initial arrangement, will be provided after the funeral and any outstanding balance will need to be paid within seven days of the date of the invoice.

Payment options

1. By cash or by cheque - All cheques should be made payable to Mears Family Funerals Ltd.
2. By debit or credit card - We accept all major debit and credit cards (except American Express). Payment can be made via our Client Portal here.
3. By bank transfer - Please ensure you add our funeral reference number to the transfer reference – please ask your branch manager for our bank account details.
4. Payment from the deceased’s bank account - Payment for the funeral can be made directly from the deceased’s bank account if there are sufficient funds.  You will require a copy of our invoice, a copy of the death certificate and identification – the benefit of paying via this method is that all such costs are removed from the estate for inheritance tax purposes.

Assistance from the Department of Work and Pensions

You may seek assistance from the Department of Work and Pensions to help pay for a funeral.

The Department of Work and Pensions will provide a maximum of £1,000 for the funeral director’s fee and in addition a contribution to the disbursements (fees we pay on your behalf i.e. crematorium fees).

• Funeral Expenses Payment can help to pay for some of the costs of the following:
• Burial fees for a particular plot
• Cremation fees, including the cost of the doctor’s certificate
• Travel to arrange or go to the funeral
• The cost of moving the body within the UK, if it’s being moved more than 50 miles
• Death certificates or other documents

You can also get up to £1,000 for any other funeral expenses, such as funeral director’s fees, flowers or the coffin.

The payment will not usually cover all of the costs of the funeral. How much you get depends on your circumstances. This includes any other money that’s available to cover the costs, for example from an insurance policy or the deceased person’s estate.

Who qualifies for assistance?

You can get help towards the cost of a funeral if you or your partner are getting one of the following qualifying benefits:

• Universal Credit
• 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
• Child Tax Credit
• Support for Mortgage Interest loan

You can also apply if you or your partner are waiting to hear about a claim for one of these benefits or payments. We use partner to mean:

• A person you live with who is your husband, wife or civil partner, or
• A person you live with as if you are a married couple

You must meet the following criteria:

• You or your partner arranged the funeral in the United Kingdom (UK), and the adult who died had their main home in the UK when they died (by United Kingdom (UK) we mean England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland)
• You or your partner arranged the funeral and you have claimed within 6 months of the date of the funeral

More information about the Funeral Expenses Payment can be found on the Gov.uk website here.

A copy of the claim form can be downloaded here.