Funeral Costs in the Philippines: What You Pay and Where to Get Help

Funeral costs in the Philippines depend mostly on the funeral home package, the casket, how long the wake lasts and where the person is buried or cremated. There is no official national average, so get written quotes before you agree to anything. Two forms of help are set by national rules: the SSS funeral benefit of ₱12,000 to ₱60,000, and a 20% discount on funeral and burial services for a senior citizen.

Figures from the SSS and from the laws are checked against their official sources below. We do not quote peso price ranges for caskets or memorial lots, because prices vary by city and provider and we could not confirm current figures from an independent source.

What does a Philippine funeral bill include?

A quote from a funeral home usually bundles several things. Ask for each one to be listed separately:

• Body preparation: embalming, dressing and, where an autopsy is needed, the funeral home's fee for it. The UK government's guide says few mortuaries have refrigeration, so funeral homes commonly embalm the body straight away.
• Casket or urn: prices range from basic to elaborate, and this is often the biggest choice you control.
• Wake (burol): chapel rental per night, or a home wake with tent and chairs, plus food and drinks for visitors. Wakes are traditional, and the body is usually displayed for family and friends.
• Transport: hearse to the church, cemetery or crematorium.
• Final resting place: a public cemetery space, a private memorial park lot, a columbarium niche, or cremation.
• Fees and extras: permits and certificates, church or officiant stipends, flowers and any obituary.

Two plans with the same headline price can include very different things, so compare line by line.

Burial or cremation?

Burial in a public cemetery usually runs on a 5-year contract. If it is not renewed, the UK government's guide says the remains are exhumed and placed in a communal grave. A private memorial park lot or a columbarium niche is a longer-term choice and is priced by the provider.

Crematoriums exist in Metro Manila and a small number of other cities, including Bacolod, Baguio, Cebu, Davao and San Fernando (La Union), according to the same guide. If you live elsewhere, ask whether transport to a crematorium is in the quote. Cremation removes the lot cost but not the cost of the wake, the urn or a niche if you want one.

How much does the SSS funeral benefit pay?

The Social Security System pays a cash benefit to whoever paid for the funeral of an SSS member, a retirement pensioner or a permanent total disability pensioner. The amounts in effect since October 20, 2023 are:

You claim after you have paid, using proof such as an official receipt, and SSS members can file online through My.SSS, and other claimants file at an SSS branch. Our full guide to the SSS funeral benefit lists the documents. If the person worked in government, ask the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) what its own funeral benefit pays and what it needs.

Is there a senior citizen discount on funeral costs?

Yes. Republic Act 9994 gives senior citizens, meaning resident citizens of the Philippines aged 60 or over, a 20% discount and VAT exemption, where applicable, on funeral and burial services when they die.

The implementing rules say:

• the person who pays for the funeral can claim the discount by showing the death certificate;
• it covers the casket or urn, embalming, hospital morgue, and transport of the body to the burial site in the place of origin;
• it does not cover the memorial lot or an obituary.

Ask the funeral home to apply it on the invoice, and confirm which lines it is applied to.

What are the legal steps and time limits?

The exact steps vary by city, so follow the funeral home's guidance and ask the local civil registrar. The main points from the official sources are:

1. Death certificate. The attending physician issues it or, if none is available, a local official such as the mayor does. The Sanitation Code says no remains may be buried without a death certificate.
2. Burial timing. Unembalmed remains should not stay unburied longer than 48 hours unless a legal investigation requires it or the local health authority permits it. The limit is 12 hours for deaths from dangerous communicable diseases.
3. Registration. According to the UK government's guide, the death must be registered with the local civil registrar within 30 days. A copy from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) can take one to two months in Metro Manila and two to three months elsewhere, so ask the funeral home for interim documents for your claims.

Keep several certified copies for banks, insurers and SSS or GSIS.

Should you buy a pre-need memorial plan?

A memorial plan is a pre-need plan, where you pay in instalments for services to be delivered later. Under the Pre-Need Code (RA 9829), the Insurance Commission supervises pre-need companies and they must keep plan money in trust funds.

Before you buy, or before you claim on an existing plan, ask:

• Does it cover the casket, embalming and chapel, or also the lot and cremation?
• Who can use it if the planholder dies, and can it be transferred?
• What happens if you stop paying or cancel?
• What documents are needed to claim it?

If the person had a plan, find the contract early, because the provider may need to be called before the funeral.

What to do next

1. Ask the funeral home for an itemised written quote, and for a second quote from another provider.
2. Check for a pre-need plan, insurance, or an employer or GSIS benefit, and confirm the senior discount if the person was 60 or older.
3. Pay with official receipts in your name if you plan to claim the SSS funeral benefit.
4. If paying is a struggle, read our guides on what to do if you cannot afford a funeral and low-cost funeral options. Your city or municipal social welfare office can also tell you about any local burial assistance.
5. If you live abroad and the death happened in the Philippines, see our guides on repatriation costs and embassy help after a death abroad.