How to Write an Obituary: What to Include, Costs and Where to Publish

An obituary is a short published notice that announces a death and tells the story of the person's life. Most include the full name, age, date and place of death, a summary of the person's life, surviving family and the service details. You don't have to publish one, and you can write it in an afternoon using the order below.

What is the difference between an obituary and a death notice?

A death notice is a brief, factual announcement: name, date of death and service details. It is typically shorter than an obituary, so it usually costs less in print. An obituary is longer and tells the person's story. Some papers run both, and some families publish only one.

Our guide to obituary vs death notice compares the two in more detail, including when each makes sense.

How do you write an obituary, step by step?

Legacy.com's writing guide breaks the job into eight parts. They work well as a simple outline, and you can use them in this order:

1. Announce the death. Give the full name (add a nickname or maiden name if people knew them by it), age, date and place of death, and hometown.
2. Tell the life story. Cover birth, parents, school, work, military service, faith, volunteer work, interests and personality.
3. Capture what they were like. Choose one or two real details: a saying, a recipe, a team they never gave up on. A specific detail tells readers more than "he was a kind man."
4. List the family. Name those who survive the person, usually starting with a spouse or partner, then children, grandchildren and siblings. Add those who died before them.
5. Give the service details. Include the date, time and full address of the funeral or memorial, and whether it is open to everyone or private.
6. Add a donation request if you want one. For example, "In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to…" with the charity's exact name.
7. Choose a photo. A clear, well-lit photo that looks like the person works better than a formal portrait.
8. Review it. Read it aloud, then ask at least one other person to check names, dates and times.

A fill-in template

[Full name] "[Nickname]" [Last name], [age], of [city], died [day, date] at [place or "at home"]. Born in [city] to [parents' names], [he/she/they] [grew up, studied, worked, served in …]. [One or two specific details: what they loved, what they were known for.] [He/She/They] is survived by [names and relationships]. [He/She/They] was preceded in death by [names and relationships]. A [funeral/memorial/celebration of life] will be held at [place, address] on [date] at [time]. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to [organization].

For a longer discussion of word counts and layout, see obituary length and format. There is also a ready-made obituary template download if you would rather fill in blanks.

What should you leave out of an obituary?

An obituary is public, and it stays searchable for years. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says scammers read obituaries to find targets. It describes fake debt collectors who phone a dead person's relatives after seeing a notice. That is reason enough to share less.

Common-sense limits that many families set:

• Exact birth date. The age, or the birth year, is enough.
• Home address. Name the city or town, not the street.
• Names and ages of young grandchildren. "Seven grandchildren" is safer than a list with ages and towns.
• Mother's maiden name and other "security question" details. These are easy to overlook in a family-history paragraph.
• The exact time the house will be empty. If the service is public, consider asking a friend to stay at the home during it.

Do you have to mention the cause of death?

No. Legacy.com's guide calls the cause of death optional and a decision for the family to make together. Some families include it to raise awareness or to answer questions people would otherwise ask. Others keep it private. Agree on the wording with close relatives first, because it is hard to take back once it is published.

How much does an obituary cost?

Many print newspapers charge by the line or column inch rather than by the word, and many add a fee for a photo. Legacy.com's 2025 cost guide gave these examples for a 150-word print obituary:

The same guide gives a 600-word print obituary as $290 in Everett and $1,740 in Chicago, and a 430-word one as $1,930 in New York City. It puts photo fees at $15 to $45 in smaller areas and $100 to $250 in larger cities, and print overall at under $100 to $800 or more for basic notices, up to about $2,000 in some metro areas. Legacy.com lists its own online obituary at a flat $150, with no length limit. Prices change, so ask the paper for a quote before you submit.

The guide suggests a hybrid approach to save money: run a short notice in the paper, and link to a longer tribute online. That is what many families do.

Our guides on obituary cost and free obituary options cover ways to keep the bill down.

Where can you publish an obituary?

• The funeral home's website. Many funeral homes post one for families they serve. Ask whether it is free and how long it stays up.
• A local or regional newspaper. Best for older readers and small communities. Ask about deadlines, because papers set a cutoff time for each edition.
• An obituary network. Legacy.com says it publishes in more than 2,800 print and online publications across the US. It also offers a writing helper called ObitWriter.
• A free memorial page or social media. Quick and free, but anyone can copy a post.
• A personal memorial website. Useful if you want to add photos, stories and service updates in one place. Our online obituary platforms guide compares the main options, and the memorial website builders guide covers personal pages.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Making it a resume. Jobs and dates matter less than what the person was like. Add at least one detail that only someone who knew them would know.
• Leaving someone out. Check the family list with more than one relative. Forgotten stepchildren, long-term partners and in-laws can cause hurt that lasts.
• Missing the deadline. Newspapers set cutoffs for each edition. If you miss one, the notice may run after the service.
• Getting the service details wrong. Check the address, date, time and time zone against the funeral home's own information.
• Publishing before the family has read it. A second or third reader will often spot errors you have stopped seeing.

What to do next

1. Collect the facts: full name, dates, places, family names with correct spelling, and service details.
2. Write a draft using the eight steps above, or start from a template.
3. Ask at least one other family member to proofread it.
4. Call the funeral home and any newspaper for deadlines and quotes, then publish.

If you also need to speak at the service, our guide on how to write a eulogy uses the same kind of stories in a different format. The Eulogy & Obituary Writing Kit has memory prompts and editable templates for both.