Most families don’t feel “sticker shock” because they expect funerals to be free. They feel it because the price list shows up in the middle of grief, written in a language they’ve never had to learn: basic services fees, use of facilities, alternative containers, outer burial containers, and something called “cash advances.” The good news is that you have real consumer rights here, and the Federal Trade Commission’s Funeral Rule is designed to make pricing transparent enough that you can choose what matters and decline what doesn’t.
This guide explains what the General Price List (GPL) is, what cash advances are (and why they can make quotes look confusing), and a practical way to compare two funeral homes without getting lost in apples-to-oranges packages. The FTC’s consumer-facing overview is a helpful reference for your rights, and you can read it directly here: FTC Funeral Rule (Consumer Advice).
If you want an internal companion read that applies these ideas specifically to cremation and direct cremation decisions, these two are useful context: Funeral Costs Broken Down and Direct Cremation: What’s Included, What’s Not.
What the GPL Is (and When You’re Supposed to Get It)
The GPL is the funeral home’s written, itemized price list for goods and services. Under the FTC Funeral Rule, when you visit a funeral home and begin discussing arrangements or prices, the funeral home must give you a GPL that you can keep. The FTC also publishes a short “Price List Essentials” tip sheet for businesses that makes the timing expectation very clear: you can offer condolences first, but once you begin discussing prices or arrangements, the GPL should be handed out.
One detail families don’t always know they’re allowed to ask for is phone pricing. The FTC’s consumer guide states funeral directors must give you price information on the telephone if you ask, and you don’t have to provide your personal information first. That matters because it lets you do basic comparison shopping before you sit down in a conference room when you’re emotionally exhausted.
Three Price Lists, Not One: GPL, Casket Price List, and Outer Burial Container Price List
Families often think the GPL is “the list.” In practice, the Funeral Rule framework includes multiple lists so you can see prices before you see products. The FTC’s Price List Essentials sheet states the Funeral Rule requires three price lists: the General Price List (GPL), the Casket Price List (CPL), and the Outer Burial Container Price List (OBCPL).
The FTC’s consumer page explains your right to see a written casket price list before you view caskets, and a written outer burial container price list before you view vaults or grave liners, if the prices aren’t already included on the GPL. That sequencing is not a technicality. It protects families from being steered toward what’s on display without seeing the full price range first.
Cash Advances: What They Are and Why They Make Quotes Look Messy
A “cash advance” is not a mystery fee. It is the funeral home paying a third party on your behalf and then passing the charge through to you. The FTC’s Funeral Costs and Pricing Checklist defines cash advances as fees charged by the funeral home for goods and services it buys from outside vendors on your behalf, and it gives examples like flowers, obituary notices, clergy, pallbearers, and musicians.
The legal definition is also spelled out in the Funeral Rule’s regulations. The eCFR definition states a “cash advance item” is any item obtained from a third party and paid for by the funeral provider on the purchaser’s behalf, and it lists examples that can include cemetery or crematory services, clergy honoraria, flowers, obituary notices, gratuities, and death certificates.
Here is why cash advances matter for comparison shopping: two funeral homes can have the same “funeral home fees” but very different cash advance estimates, depending on which cemetery they’re coordinating with, what obituary publication they’re using, or whether they’re including items you might source differently. That’s why the most reliable comparison is to separate the quote into two buckets: what the funeral home charges directly, and what they are paying out to others on your behalf.
Cash Advance Markups, Refunds, and What the Funeral Rule Requires Them to Tell You
Families often assume a cash advance is always “pass-through at cost.” Sometimes it is. Sometimes it isn’t. The FTC’s checklist explains that some providers charge their cost, while others add a service fee, and if the provider charges an extra fee, the Funeral Rule requires them to disclose that fact in writing (though it doesn’t require them to specify the amount of the markup).
The same FTC checklist also states the Rule requires funeral providers to tell you if there are refunds, discounts, or rebates from the supplier on any cash advance item. This is one reason it can be worth asking a calm, direct question: “Are any cash advances marked up, and if so, will that be disclosed in writing?” You’re not being confrontational. You’re simply asking for the transparency the rule is built around.
The Written Statement: The Page That Matters More Than the Package
After you decide what you want (and before you pay), the funeral home must give you a written statement listing the goods and services selected and the price of each. If the funeral home doesn’t know the cost of the cash advance items yet, the FTC’s pricing checklist states they must give a written “good faith estimate.”
This written statement is where families can slow the process down. You’re allowed to read it. You’re allowed to ask what each line means. You’re allowed to decline items. And you’re allowed to request explanations for anything described as a legal requirement. The FTC notes you also have a right to an explanation in the written statement describing any legal cemetery or crematory requirement that requires you to buy any funeral goods or services.
Comparing Quotes: A Practical, Low-Drama Method
Price comparison gets hard when one funeral home quotes a package price and another quotes itemized. The easiest way to make this fair is to compare like with like. The FTC’s consumer resources repeatedly emphasize your right to choose only what you want and not be forced into a package.
Here is a calm way families compare two providers without getting lost. Start by requesting the GPL from each provider and asking for an itemized written estimate for the same scenario, such as direct cremation, or cremation with viewing and a service, or burial with a viewing and service. If you’re comparing cremation options, this Funeral.com guide helps you define the scenario clearly before you call: How Much Does Cremation Cost?
Then look at the “foundation” lines first, because those tend to explain most of the difference. The FTC’s consumer checklist notes that costs can include the basic services fee, transportation, preparation/embalming, use of facilities, vehicles, and merchandise like caskets or alternative containers, plus cremation or interment. Once those are aligned, compare cash advances separately, because those are often driven by third parties and may not reflect the funeral home’s core pricing.
What You Can Say “No” To, and What You Can Bring Yourself
One of the most useful parts of the Funeral Rule is that it protects your ability to decline merchandise and supply your own. The FTC’s consumer guide says you have the right to buy only the funeral arrangements you want and not accept a package that includes items you don’t want.
It also states you may provide the funeral home with a casket or urn you buy elsewhere, and the funeral provider cannot refuse to handle it or charge you a fee to do it. This matters because it lets families shop for memorial items separately when that’s financially or emotionally easier. If your plan includes a permanent urn, you can browse cremation urns for ashes, or if your family expects to share, you can also plan around keepsake urns and cremation jewelry.
If cremation is part of your decision, the FTC’s consumer guide also emphasizes that no state or local law requires a casket for cremation, and that funeral homes must make alternative containers available for direct cremation. That single point can change a quote substantially, which is why direct cremation and “cremation with service” should be compared as two distinct service scenarios, not as vague categories.
The Questions That Usually Save Families Money Without Feeling “Cheap”
Families often worry that asking questions will sound disrespectful. In practice, respectful questions are the difference between a quote you understand and a quote that leaves you anxious later. These are the questions that tend to produce the clearest answers under the Funeral Rule framework.
- Can I have the GPL (and the casket and outer burial container price lists if applicable) before we decide anything?
- What is included in the package price, and what is optional?
- Which items are cash advances, and are any of them marked up?
- If you don’t know a cash advance cost yet, what is the good faith estimate you’re using?
- Are any items required by law or by the cemetery/crematory, and where is that disclosed in the written statement?
If you want a broader “how to shop” consumer guide from the FTC that reinforces these habits, this is a useful reference: Shopping for Funeral Services (FTC).
The Bottom Line
Funeral home price lists are meant to protect you, even when they feel overwhelming. The GPL is your anchor: you have a right to receive it when discussing arrangements, to get price information by phone if you ask, and to receive an itemized written statement of what you selected before you pay. Cash advances are third-party purchases made on your behalf, and the Funeral Rule requires written disclosure if the provider adds a fee, plus transparency about refunds, discounts, or rebates on those items.
If you want the calmest way to compare quotes, separate “funeral home fees” from “cash advances,” compare the same scenario across providers, and remember you can buy only what you want and even supply your own urn without a handling fee. If you’d like a Funeral.com walkthrough that applies these rights to real line items families see, start with Funeral Costs Broken Down.
