What to Bring to the Funeral Home: A Checklist

For a funeral arrangement meeting, bring the person's full legal name, Social Security number, date and place of birth, parents' names and a few other personal details for the death certificate. Add any pre-need contract, insurance and cemetery papers, military discharge papers if they served, a full outfit and a few photos. You do not need the death certificate itself. The funeral home collects the details and files it with the state.

If you are missing something, go to the meeting anyway and tell the funeral director. Most gaps can be filled in later.

What do I need to bring to arrange a funeral?

Here is the short list:

• Details for the death certificate: see the table below
• Papers about payment: life insurance policy or company name and policy number, any pre-need funeral contract, and information about a cemetery plot or deed
• Military discharge papers (DD-214) for a veteran
• Clothing, and jewelry or glasses if you want them included
• A few photos, and notes for an obituary
• Proof of your authority if you are not the spouse or an adult child
• A notebook, and ideally a friend or relative to listen with you

What details go on the death certificate?

The funeral director fills in the personal details on the death certificate and files it with the state. A doctor, coroner or medical examiner completes the cause of death. The U.S. Standard Certificate of Death, which states base their forms on, asks for details like these. Your state's form may add or drop items.

USA.gov says the funeral director should report the death to Social Security, and that most agencies need the person's Social Security number and certified copies of the death certificate. Ask the funeral home how to order copies, and see our guide on how many death certificates you need. The CDC has a directory of each state's vital records office if you need to order more later.

Who can sign, and what proof do I need?

Only the person with the legal right to control the remains can usually sign the contract and authorize burial or cremation. State law sets the order. In New York, a person named in a signed and witnessed written document comes first, then a spouse or domestic partner, adult children, parents and adult siblings. In California, an agent under a health care power of attorney comes first, then a spouse, adult children, parents and siblings.

If you are a friend, an executor or a more distant relative, bring whatever shows your authority: a signed designation from the person, a will naming you executor, or a court paper. The funeral home can tell you what your state needs. See power of attorney and funeral arrangements if the person had one.

What papers about money should I bring?

• Pre-need contract. If the person prepaid or planned ahead, bring the contract and any receipts. It may already cover much of what you need to decide.
• Life insurance. Bring the policy or the company name and number. Insurance payouts usually take time, so ask how the funeral home handles payment in the meantime. Our guides on using life insurance to pay for a funeral and insurance assignments explain the options.
• Cemetery papers. If a plot was bought, bring the deed, or the cemetery name and the section, lot and grave numbers.
• Will or trust, if you have it, since it can show who the executor is. It is not always needed for the meeting.

What if the person was a veteran?

Bring the DD-214 or other discharge papers. VA's scheduling office asks for them to confirm eligibility for a national cemetery burial, and it requires a discharge under other than dishonorable conditions. A family member or the funeral director can schedule a burial by calling the National Cemetery Scheduling Office at 800-535-1117. Burial flags are requested with VA Form 27-2008 through a funeral director, a VA regional office or a post office.

If you cannot find the papers, tell the funeral director at once. Also ask the funeral director about military funeral honors. Our guides on veterans' burial benefits, national cemetery eligibility and military honors at a funeral explain what is available.

What personal items should I bring?

Clothing

Bring a complete outfit if the person will be viewed or dressed for burial, such as underwear, socks or hosiery, shoes and any accessories. Ask the funeral home which items it needs, since practice varies. Everyday clothing is fine. The FTC lists it as a way to reduce costs compared with special burial garments. For a direct cremation with no viewing, clothing is often not needed, so ask first.

Jewelry and keepsakes

Bring glasses, a watch or jewelry if you want them included, and ask in advance what will be returned to you. If a favorite item matters to you, say so. If the person is being cremated, ask the funeral home or crematory which items can go with them, rather than assuming.

Photos and music

Bring a handful of clear photos for a display or slideshow, and one for the obituary or program. Many funeral homes can scan prints or take digital files, so ask which they prefer. Write down music, readings and any faith traditions. Our guides to photos for a funeral display and funeral music can help.

What should I know about prices before I go?

Under the FTC Funeral Rule:

• The funeral home must give you a written General Price List when you start discussing arrangements, and you can keep it.
• It must give prices by phone if you ask, so you can compare homes first.
• You can choose only the items you want, and buy a casket or urn elsewhere. The funeral home cannot refuse to use it or charge a fee for handling it.
• It cannot charge for embalming without your permission, except where the law requires it.
• Before you pay, you must receive a written itemized statement of what you chose, with prices.

Our guides on the General Price List and questions to ask a funeral director list what to look for.

What if I am arranging the funeral from far away?

Many funeral homes can take documents by email or a secure upload, and hold the meeting by phone or video. Ask what they accept. See planning a funeral remotely.

What to do next

1. Gather what you can from the list above, and write down what you are missing.
2. Call two or three funeral homes and ask for their General Price List.
3. Bring a friend, and do not sign anything you have not read.
4. Use our funeral planning timeline to map out the days ahead.