Who pays for a funeral if you have no money?

vax2002

I think as times bite, we will see more "bodiless funerals".
That is where the council are left to mass cremate the dead of the working poor and people just meet up in a pub with a framed photo and say goodbye over a few drinks.

paddedjohn

i cant see why people reckon there is poverty every where, the families with kids get large hand outs and the working families with kids get tax credits, all people need to do is budget properly and live within their means. the only people who are feeling the pinch are the families with both adults going out to work who cant get the freebies off the government

[Deleted User]

paddedjohn wrote: »

i cant see why people reckon there is poverty every where, the families with kids get large hand outs and the working families with kids get tax credits, all people need to do is budget properly and live within their means. the only people who are feeling the pinch are the families with both adults going out to work who cant get the freebies off the government

absolute TOTAL and UTTER RUBBISH

dealer_wins

vax2002 wrote: »

The sad Truth is a good majority of working people could not afford to bury themselves if they died.
This is probably the best definition of poverty I know, not been able to afford to die, never-mind live.
UK 2011- what a mess.

The sad truth is that these people have more than likely been reckless with their money for their entire life, didnt save a penny throughout it, and everything is always someone elses fault and responsibility.

Oldernotwiser

In the past, the "working poor" took out small insurance policies to cover their funerals. These still exist and are taken out by people who take a responsible attitude to this; they can still be quite inexpensive.

pauletruth

i am paying £40 a month to cover my mum and mother in laws funeral costs. my sister and her husband had to find the money to bury his dad it came as a big shock to them. its not cheap to bury someone.
if some fails to cover themselves its not cheap by the time you start planning for the future. due to my health problems i can't get life insurances so thats a little problem.
remember the burial grant is based on your income not the dead persons. if in work you will be expected to pay.

AfricanViolet

Removed

removed

pauletruth

it would but i would end up spending it. this way i can't touch it. not the best way of doing it but it will cover the costs. but i will look at something like that for myself

Oldernotwiser

AfricanViolet wrote: »

I'm not being funny Paul but might it be better to put this money into a savings account or an ISA or some such?

Do you take this attitude to all insurance policies?

Paul would have to be saving £20 per month for more than 10 years to get anywhere near covering the cost of a basic funeral.

AsknAnswer2

paddedjohn wrote: »

if the deseased has no assets and their family are not working then a grant cn be claimed, even if their is one child of the deseased in work then the claim will be rejected

Incorrect, on all three points. Firstly, it is not a grant. Secondly, a working family member does not result in a rejected claim. If the person who claims is not the partner of the deceased, then all immediate family members (that is parents sons or daughters of the deceased), must be in receipt of a qualifying benefit which does includes both out of work benefits and benefits payable to some people in work on a low income such as WTC with an attached disability element or CTC at a rate higher than the family element, CTB or HB. If the immediate family members are not in receipt of a qualifying benefit, then they must fall within an excluded category or have been estranged from the deceased. So working relatives does not automatically disqualify the claimant. Thirdly, assets of the deceased may reduce a funeral payment. It will only result in a nil award if the assets of the deceased (or other specified available funds) are the same or higher than the award would be - and only certain assets are deducted from the award figure.

bobajob_1966 wrote: »

My years in the care industry must have all been a dream then! I see it all the time, someone passes away and although they have family the homes are left to make arrangements. All we are asked is 'Are the family willing to pay?', and if we say no they don't ask any further.

I think you are getting DWP mixed up with the local authority here. Willingness to pay has no basis on a funeral payment application - which by the way, cannot be made by a business as a business cannot be in receipt of a qualifying benefit thus would fail the first qualifying condition. Willingness to pay is not a question on the application form. The local authority does however have to consider whether people are prepared to take responsibility for the funeral costs.

In answer to the OP, if nobody has the money to pay for the funeral, there are two options - the funeral payment which will help toward the cost if the qualifying conditions are met (but will only cover specific costs), or the council will arrange for disposal of the remains but it will not be a traditional funeral.

The relevant legislation for funeral payments is here It sets out how Social Fund Funeral Payments are dealt with in accordance with law.

The relevant legislation for the council taking responsibility for the disposal of deceased remains is here