Contact your funeral insurance provider

Should you have a policy in place for a loved one who has passed on or if they had an existing policy, contact the insurer regarding this to begin the claims process. Most funeral payouts take 24-48 hours to help you begin the process of handling funeral costs. Make sure that you have the relevant documents that are needed to place a claim at hand - this will differ from insurer to insurer. 

Find a reputable funeral home

Depending on how you choose to arrange a funeral for your loved one, costs can vary from as little as R10 000 - R80 000 or more. Finding a funeral home that offers a service that covers all our needs can help reduce the costs and help you avoid arranging with multiple providers. 

Funeral costs to consider

While no one likes to think of the day they die or having to organize their own funeral while they are still living, it will help you and your loved ones on the day to focus on the grieving. Some of the expenses to consider are things such as: 

• Coffin or cremation costs. Cremations tend to be less costly than coffins with the average cremation costs in South Africa ranging between R7 000 - R15 000. Coffins can cost anything between R800 - R50 000 or more. 
• Gravesite. The cost will be based on the municipal costs for where you would like to bury a loved one, ranging from a minimum of R1 000 - R6 000 or more.
• Tombstones. Based on the size and material that is used you could be looking at anything between R2,900 - R95,000 or more.
• Transport. There is no set price range due to the array of available options. You can reduce costs by carpooling and sticking to the pandemic funeral guidelines.
• Funeral parlour costs. You will have to consider funeral home fees whether you are planning on cremation or burying a loved one. The costs start at R5 000 - 10 000, but most homes include this fee to carry out most of the funeral arrangements on your behalf.
• Catering costs. Food could be the biggest ticket item that comes with organizing a funeral based on how many people will be there and what meal you choose to prepare. You could face anything between R30 per person - R5 000.
• Flowers. This can be included in a funeral package.
• Venue hire. Based on how many people will be in attendance, for a tent hire you could be looking at anything between R500 – R5000 or more.

Closing accounts and profiles

Having your banking details and other account details placed in a secure place for loved ones to access when you die to help close these is crucial. However, another aspect that is often overlooked is having our social media profiles deactivated. Whether you want to keep your digital profile running as part of a digital legacy or have all your profiles deactivated, it is important to have someone you trust do this on your behalf.