NAFD and SAIF Explained: What the Funeral Trade Bodies Do

NAFD is the National Association of Funeral Directors, and SAIF is the National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors. They are the two main UK funeral trade bodies. Both are voluntary: a funeral director who joins agrees to follow a code of practice, accepts inspections and offers a complaints route. NAFD includes independent firms, large groups and co-operatives. SAIF is for independent, mostly family-owned firms. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, neither is a legal regulator.

What are NAFD and SAIF?

NAFD describes itself as the UK's leading professional body for funeral directors. It was established in 1905 and says it has more than 3,800 UK funeral homes in membership, ranging from independent family businesses to major funeral groups and co-operatives. NAFD says its member companies together conduct in excess of 470,000 funerals every year.

SAIF was founded in 1989 to support independent, mostly family-owned funeral directors who were concerned about larger corporate groups. It says it has about 1,000 funeral director members across 1,865 sites, plus around 100 associate members that supply the profession. SAIF members must show a sound trading history and suitable premises.

What is the difference between NAFD and SAIF?

A firm can be independent and still belong to NAFD, so a NAFD logo does not mean a firm is part of a big group, and the SAIF logo is not a guarantee of how a firm is run. To know who owns a firm, look at its ownership notice (see below).

Both bodies have worked to align their codes. The CMA's 2025 review records NAFD saying that it and SAIF agreed to harmonise their member codes of practice with the Scottish code. NAFD describes its Funeral Director Code as a single core standard across the UK that aligns with Scotland's statutory requirements, with enhanced mandatory requirements for its members.

Are funeral directors regulated by law in the UK?

Not in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, as of the CMA's August 2025 review. There is no statutory licensing regime there, and joining a trade body is voluntary. The CMA also found that most people wrongly believed funeral directors were subject to statutory regulation, and it repeated its view that independent statutory regulation of funeral services is needed in those nations.

Scotland is different. The Scottish Government introduced a statutory Funeral Director Code of Practice in February 2024, with inspectors carrying out inspections against it, and full compliance has been required since 1 March 2025. Our guide to Scottish funeral laws covers the Scottish rules.

What does membership give you?

• A code of practice. A member agrees to follow it. In Scotland the statutory code applies to every funeral director, member or not.
• Inspections. NAFD says its member funeral homes are regularly inspected by its inspectorate team. SAIF says members are inspected against its Code of Practice.
• A route for complaints. If you are unhappy with a member and can't resolve it with the firm, you can take it to the trade body. NAFD Resolve handles complaints from clients who have a contract with a member firm. SAIF says it offers alternative dispute resolution through its Professional Standards Committee, and its complaints information asks for complaints in writing. Ask SAIF what its process involves, including any cost, before you start.

What membership does is give you a place to take a problem that isn't resolved with the firm, which you don't have with a firm outside any scheme.

What does membership not tell you?

Membership does not tell you what a firm charges, how it cares for the person who died behind the scenes, or whether it is the right fit for your family. For prices, use the legal tools in place since 2021. The CMA's Funerals Market Investigation Order requires every funeral director to:

• Publish a Standardised Price List in a set format, in the branch and on its website, no more than one click from the homepage
• Show the price of a standard attended funeral, broken into six items, and an unattended funeral
• Give a price range for local burial and cremation fees
• Disclose its ultimate owner, which is the trading name for a sole trader and the registered or parent company for a company

You can use these to compare firms like for like. See our guides to UK funeral director chains, independent funeral directors and funeral director costs for how to read them.

How do I check that a funeral director is really a member?

1. Look for the logo, then check it. A logo on a window or website is not proof. Search the NAFD directory at funeral-directory.co.uk or SAIF's "Find a SAIF member" tool. mygov.scot points to both, and GOV.UK names both bodies.
2. Read the ownership notice on the firm's website and in the branch, to see whether a local name belongs to a larger group.
3. Ask for the Standardised Price List and a written estimate that includes third-party costs. In Scotland, mygov.scot says members must give you an estimate of funeral costs if you ask.
4. Ask which code the firm follows and how to complain if something goes wrong.

How do I make a complaint?

Citizens Advice sets out the steps:

1. Speak to the funeral director first. If they are a member of a trade body, look at its code of practice for the standard to expect.
2. If that doesn't work, put your complaint in writing.
3. If the firm belongs to a professional body, complain there. The body may offer arbitration or conciliation.
4. If the firm belongs to no professional body, your only option for taking it further may be legal action.
5. If you think the firm misled you about the cost of the funeral, report it to Trading Standards.
6. For a complaint about a funeral plan, contact the plan provider or, if still unresolved, you might be able to complain to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

SAIF asks for complaints in writing, with your contact details, the member's name and address, a detailed statement and any evidence.

Key terms

• Disbursements: third-party costs a funeral director pays on your behalf, such as crematorium or burial fees and clergy fees. GOV.UK lists them separately from the funeral director's own fees.
• Standardised Price List: the CMA-mandated format that funeral directors must publish so you can compare prices.
• Ultimate owner: the person or company that finally owns a funeral business, which must be displayed under the CMA's order.
• ADR (alternative dispute resolution): a way to settle a dispute through an independent body, without going to court.
• Pre-paid funeral plan: a contract to pay for a funeral in advance. These plans are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and are separate from trade body membership. See our guide to UK pre-paid funeral plans.

What to do next

1. Shortlist two or three firms and download each Standardised Price List.
2. Check each firm's trade body membership on the NAFD or SAIF directory, and read its ownership notice.
3. Ask for a written estimate that includes third-party costs, and for the firm's complaints procedure.
4. If you are choosing between a large group and a local firm, see our reviews of Funeral Partners and Co-op Funeralcare.