Illinois Funeral Costs: Real Prices, Laws and How to Compare

Illinois has no official average funeral price. The NFDA's 2023 national medians were $8,300 for a funeral with viewing and burial and $6,280 for one with viewing and cremation, before cemetery costs. Prices vary a great deal between funeral homes: in a June 2026 survey of Champaign County funeral homes, direct cremation, with no viewing or service, was listed from $995 to $3,950.

How much does a funeral cost in Illinois?

The NFDA medians cover funeral home charges and a casket or container, not the cemetery plot, opening and closing or marker. The Champaign County figures come from funeral homes' own price lists in one downstate county, and they leave out the casket. The survey notes an extra $100 for the Illinois cremation permit. We could not find an independent, published price survey for Chicago or Cook County, so do not assume the Champaign numbers apply there. The Funeral Consumers Alliance has an Illinois affiliate in Champaign County, and you can look for others at funerals.org.

Direct cremation and immediate burial, the burial with no viewing or service, cost far less than a funeral with a viewing. See our guides on cremation costs by state, burial costs by state and direct burial.

What do cemeteries charge in Illinois?

The same Champaign County survey included cemeteries. Prices ranged widely:

• A plot for an adult casket: from $500 to about $3,835, with many at $1,795. One cemetery charged $1,500 to residents and $3,000 to non-residents.
• Opening and closing for an adult casket: from $800 to $2,065, with the higher fees for weekends at some cemeteries.
• Vaults: every cemetery that answered said a vault is required, with one exception for green burial.

No law anywhere in the U.S. requires a burial vault, according to the FTC, but cemeteries can require one under their own rules. Ask the cemetery for its written rules and its prices before you buy from the funeral home. For Chicago-area cemeteries, call them directly, because we have no verified price data to quote.

How do you compare Illinois funeral homes?

Under the FTC Funeral Rule, funeral homes must give you prices over the phone and a written General Price List (GPL) to keep. They must let you choose individual items instead of a package, and cannot refuse a casket you bought elsewhere or charge a fee to handle it.

1. Call at least three funeral homes. Prices in one county differed by about $3,000 for the same direct cremation.
2. Ask for the total for the exact service you want, and the date on the price list.
3. Ask what is not included, such as the permit, refrigeration, death certificates and mileage.
4. Compare totals, not packages. See how to read a General Price List and funeral home fees explained.

What does Illinois law require?

Is there a waiting period before cremation?

Yes. Under the Crematory Regulation Act, remains may not be cremated within 24 hours after the time of death shown on the death certificate. The wait can be waived in writing by the medical examiner or coroner when it is known the person had an infectious or dangerous disease, and it does not apply when a religious requirement calls for it. Cremation also needs a permit from the coroner or medical examiner of the county where the death occurred, and a signed authorization from the person with the right to decide.

The permit fee varies. Cook County charges $150, and the funeral director obtains the permit before the death certificate is filed. The Champaign County survey lists $100.

Do you need a funeral director?

Yes, for several steps. The Funeral Consumers Alliance lists Illinois among nine states that require a funeral director to file the death certificate, remove and transport bodies, and be present at burials and cremations, and to issue burial and transit permits. Other states are more flexible. See home funeral laws by state.

Is embalming required?

The FTC says no state requires routine embalming for every death. Some require embalming or refrigeration if burial or cremation is delayed, and many funeral homes require it for a public viewing. If you want a viewing without embalming, ask about refrigeration and a private family viewing. See embalming and the law.

Do you need a casket for cremation?

No. A funeral home that offers cremation must tell you that alternative containers, such as cardboard or unfinished wood, are available.

Who has the right to decide?

The Disposition of Remains Act (755 ILCS 65/5) sets the order when the person left no written directions or agent:

1. a person named in a written instrument that meets the Act's requirements
2. an executor or legal representative acting on written instructions in the will
3. the spouse at the time of death
4. the sole surviving competent adult child, or a majority of them if there are several
5. surviving parents, and then other relatives and, further down the list, other people willing to act

The people on the list carry both the authority and the responsibility for reasonable costs. Naming an agent in writing ahead of time helps avoid disputes. See who arranges the funeral.

How do prepaid funeral plans work in Illinois?

The Illinois Office of Comptroller licenses sellers of prepaid funeral and burial contracts and enforces the Funeral or Burial Funds Act. Its consumer guide says:

• A guaranteed contract fixes the price of what you chose. With a non-guaranteed contract, your payments act like a deposit and you or your estate pay any difference later.
• For a trust-funded contract, the seller must send 95% of the price of most items, and 85% of vault prices, to an independent trustee within 30 days.
• Unless a contract is irrevocable, you can cancel. If it is paid in full and trust-funded, the seller must refund 95% of the price plus net earnings (85% for vaults).
• If the seller does not deliver and does not refund you, you or your estate may be able to claim from the Pre-need Funeral Consumer Protection Fund.

Questions go to the Comptroller's PLACE Division at (877) 203-3401. Our guides cover prepaid plan comparisons and what happens if a provider fails.

Are green options available in Illinois?

Natural burial depends on the cemetery. In the Champaign County survey, only one of the cemeteries that answered allowed green burial. We could not confirm which water cremation (alkaline hydrolysis) providers serve Illinois, or whether natural organic reduction (human composting) is currently allowed, so ask funeral homes what they offer today before you plan around either.

Who pays, and what help exists?

• The person responsible. The people with the right to decide are also responsible for reasonable costs under the Disposition of Remains Act. If the person left an estate, funeral bills are usually paid from it.
• State help. The Illinois Department of Human Services has a Funeral and Burial Unit for families of people who received certain public benefits. The Funeral Consumers Alliance of Champaign County lists (217) 785-4216. Ask about current limits, because we could not confirm them.
• Social Security. A one-time $255 death payment goes to an eligible surviving spouse or, in some cases, children. See Social Security death benefit.
• Veterans. A VA national cemetery provides a gravesite, opening and closing, and a headstone at no cost to eligible veterans, and for non-service-connected deaths the VA's burial and plot allowances are $1,002 each for deaths from October 1, 2025, and $1,032 each for deaths on or after October 1, 2026. Use the VA cemetery finder for locations in Illinois, and see VA burial allowance.
• Unclaimed bodies. When no one can be found to take responsibility, the county coroner may handle disposition. The Funeral Consumers Alliance says the Champaign County coroner offers cremation, burial or body donation in those cases. See what to do if you cannot afford a funeral.

What to do next

1. Confirm who has the right to decide and whether the person left written wishes.
2. Get written GPLs and totals from three or more funeral homes, with the date on each list.
3. If you choose cremation, plan for the 24-hour wait and ask the funeral home to arrange the permit.
4. Order certified death certificates from the Illinois Department of Public Health or the county clerk. See how many death certificates you need.