Funeral Assistance 2026: Burial Help That Actually Exists

The most common wrong turn: signing a funeral contract before checking who pays what. Some of these programs reimburse you later, some pay the funeral home, and several have caps. Ask the funeral home for its General Price List first, and keep every receipt in your own name.

Funeral and Burial Help That Exists in 2026

Each of the 7 sources of help below depends on who died, how they died, or what money is left, and the one most families can get, from Social Security, is $255. Here's the map:

If you're also facing medical bills from the last illness, the medical bills guide covers hospital financial assistance and your rights.

Social Security's $255 Lump-Sum Death Payment

Social Security's one-time death payment is $255, and that amount is fixed in regulation. SSA's survivor benefits amount page (opens in a new tab) says "Spouses or some minor children could get a one-time death benefit payment of $255." The rules are in 20 CFR 404.390 (opens in a new tab), 404.391 and 404.392:

The bigger money may be monthly survivor benefits. According to SSA's eligibility page (opens in a new tab), a surviving spouse may qualify at 60, or 50 with a disability, and at any age while caring for the deceased worker's child; unmarried children 17 and younger can qualify too. SSA says a funeral home will usually report the death, so you may not need to. Call 1-800-772-1213 to apply for both.

VA Burial Allowances and National Cemetery Burial

VA's burial allowance rose on October 1, 2026, and the amount depends on whether the death was service connected. According to VA's burial allowance page (opens in a new tab), the person who paid can apply, including a spouse, child, parent, executor, family member, friend or a funeral home representative, as long as no one else reimbursed them. The veteran must not have had a dishonorable discharge, and one condition must apply, such as a service-connected death, death while getting VA care, death while receiving VA pension or compensation, or a pending claim the veteran would have won.

VA also reimburses the cost of transporting a veteran's remains in some cases, including burial in a national cemetery, with an itemized receipt in your name. It pays burial benefits for cremation, burial at sea and donation to a medical school. It doesn't pay burial allowances for deaths on active duty, while serving in Congress, or while serving a federal prison sentence.

Deadlines: for a non-service-connected death, file within 2 years after burial, except there's no time limit if the veteran died under VA care or if you're claiming only the plot, interment or transportation allowance. For a service-connected death, there's no time limit. Apply online or mail VA Form 21P-530EZ to the Pension Intake Center, PO Box 5365, Janesville, WI 53547-5365. A surviving spouse listed on the veteran's VA profile gets a set amount automatically when VA learns of the death, without filing.

What national cemetery burial includes

According to VA's page on what national cemetery burial includes (opens in a new tab), eligible veterans, service members, Reservists and family members get these at no cost to the family: a gravesite where space is available, opening and closing of the grave, a government burial liner, a government headstone or marker, and perpetual care. Veterans, service members and Reservists also get a burial flag, a Presidential Memorial Certificate and military funeral honors from the Department of Defense. VA's eligibility page (opens in a new tab) says a spouse or surviving spouse can qualify even after remarrying, as can minor children and, in some cases, unmarried adult dependent children. That list doesn't include the funeral home's own charges, such as a viewing or a casket, so a national cemetery burial cuts costs but doesn't erase them.

FEMA Funeral Assistance: Declared Disasters Only

FEMA pays funeral costs only when a death is caused by a presidentially declared disaster that includes Individual Assistance. FEMA's rule at 44 CFR 206.119 (opens in a new tab) lists funeral assistance as "Necessary expenses to assist applicants with funeral costs," including funeral services, burial or cremation, and other related funeral expenses. FEMA generally won't pay costs that burial insurance or another program already covers. If a hurricane, flood, wildfire or tornado caused a death and your area is declared, register at DisasterAssistance.gov (opens in a new tab).

COVID-19 funeral assistance has ended. FEMA's COVID-19 Funeral Assistance page (opens in a new tab) says "the deadline to apply for Funeral Assistance has passed and FEMA is no longer accepting new applications." The program covered expenses incurred between January 20, 2020 and September 30, 2025. As of February 19, 2026, FEMA had received more than 609,000 applications and approved more than 506,000, totaling about $3.26 billion for more than 512,000 people who died. Grantsights analysis of FEMA's totals works out to roughly $6,400 per person who died.

COVID-19 funeral assistance by state

According to FEMA data in its state-by-state table, as of February 19, 2026, these 10 states received the most. "Average per award" is Grantsights' division of the amount approved by the number of awards FEMA lists.

For example, Texas received $282.8 million, the most of any state. Across the 50 states and DC, Grantsights analysis of the same table found 503,714 awards against 606,175 applications, about 83 awards per 100 applications, and an average of $6,460 per award. Averages ranged from $7,410 in North Dakota to $4,391 in Oregon. FEMA's list of eligible COVID-19 expenses ran from funeral services, cremation and interment to death certificates, a casket or urn, a marker, and transportation for up to two people to identify the person who died.

Crime Victim Compensation for Funeral Costs

When a death results from a crime, the state's crime victim compensation program is often the largest single source of funeral money. According to the Office for Victims of Crime's victim compensation page (opens in a new tab), compensation directly reimburses crime-related costs "such as medical costs, mental health counseling, lost wages, and funeral and burial costs," and OVC funds programs in every state, DC, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Guam. Grantsights checked two of the largest:

Sources: the California Victim Compensation Board funeral page (opens in a new tab) and the Texas Attorney General funeral page (opens in a new tab). Each state sets its own crime-reporting and filing rules, so call your state's program or a victim advocate right away. A common mistake is assuming a funeral home will file for you; in California it can't.

County Indigent Burial Programs

When someone dies with no money and no family able to pay, many counties or cities step in with a basic burial or cremation, often called indigent burial or public administrator cremation. These programs aren't federal, so the rules, income tests and services vary by county, and Grantsights doesn't summarize them nationally. Ask the county these 4 questions:

• Who qualifies? Ask whether the county looks for an estate, life insurance, veterans' benefits or relatives who could pay before it approves help.
• What's provided? Ask whether it's cremation or burial, who the provider is, and where the remains go.
• Does a private contract change anything? Ask before you sign with a funeral home, in case agreeing to pay privately affects the county's role.
• Can the family add anything? Ask whether relatives can pay separately for a memorial service or other extras.

Contact the county coroner or medical examiner, the county social services office, or the hospital's social worker. Call 211 if you can't find the right office. If the person who died was a veteran, tell the county right away. VA's burial allowance page says that if a veteran's remains aren't claimed, VA pays the person or organization responsible for the burial a burial allowance.

SSI and Medicaid: Burial Funds You Can Set Aside

If you get SSI or Medicaid, or might need it, you can set money aside for a funeral without losing benefits, but only within limits. SSA's 2026 SSI Spotlight on Resources (opens in a new tab) says countable resources can't be worth more than $2,000 for an individual or $3,000 for a couple, and these don't count:

• Burial plots or spaces for you or your immediate family
• Burial funds of up to $1,500 each for you and your spouse
• Life insurance policies when the combined face value is $1,500 or less

SSA's operations manual, POMS SI 01130.410 (opens in a new tab), explains the catch. The $1,500 burial fund exclusion is separate from the burial space exclusion, but it's reduced by the face value of excluded life insurance on the person and by any amount in an irrevocable trust, burial contract or other irrevocable arrangement, except the part that pays for burial spaces. POMS gives this example: someone with a $200 irrevocable burial contract can exclude only $1,300 more in a designated savings account. The money has to be clearly set aside for burial.

Medicaid for people who are aged, blind or disabled generally follows SSI's rules. Under 42 CFR 435.601 (opens in a new tab), states must use the financial methods of the most closely related cash assistance program, usually SSI, though states may choose less restrictive methods and some use their own criteria. Ask your state Medicaid agency before buying a prepaid funeral plan, because an irrevocable plan and a revocable one can be treated very differently. The SSI guide and help for seniors guide cover the rest of those programs.

The FTC Funeral Rule: Your Right to Price Lists

The cheapest funeral help is often the Funeral Rule, because it lets you pay only for what you choose. According to the FTC's Funeral Rule page (opens in a new tab), and the rule at 16 CFR 453.2 (opens in a new tab), you have 9 key rights:

The Rule doesn't cover third-party sellers, such as casket and monument dealers, or cemeteries without an on-site funeral home. The FTC notes that direct cremation and immediate burial don't require any form of preservation. Call 3 funeral homes and compare their price lists for the same service.

What Funeral Homes Don't Tell You

Funeral homes have to give you a price list, but they won't volunteer everything that saves money:

• VA may pay part of the bill. Ask whether the person served. A DD214 can unlock a burial allowance, a national cemetery plot and a free headstone.
• Reporting a death isn't applying. SSA says the funeral home usually reports the death, but under SSA's rules you still have to apply for the $255 within 2 years unless you were already getting spouse benefits on that record.
• Crime victim funds have to be asked for. Funeral homes generally can't apply for you, and in California CalVCB won't accept their applications.
• You can bring your own casket or urn. A casket bought online or from a local store must be accepted without a handling fee.
• Embalming is a choice in most cases. Many homes require it for public viewing as a policy, not a law. Ask about private family viewing or refrigeration.

Scams That Target Grieving Families

Grief makes families easy targets. Four warnings:

1. "Funeral grants" for a fee. The FTC's government grant scams page (opens in a new tab) says no government agency will contact you to demand a fee for a grant, and it won't ask you to pay by gift card, wire transfer or cryptocurrency.
2. Old COVID-19 funeral offers. FEMA closed the program to new applications, so anyone offering to file a new COVID-19 funeral claim now is wrong or running a scam.
3. Fake memorial fundraisers. The FTC's crowdfunding guide (opens in a new tab) says the safest way to give is to campaigns organized by people you know and trust, that the organizer controls the money, and that "Donations to individuals are not tax deductible." If you raise money yourself, say clearly who controls the funds and post receipts.
4. Callers pretending to be SSA or VA. The FTC says government agencies will never call, text or email to ask for your Social Security, bank account or credit card number. Call SSA at 1-800-772-1213 or VA at the number on va.gov yourself.

Report scams at ReportFraud.ftc.gov (opens in a new tab) and to your state attorney general.

A Step-by-Step Plan When You Need to Pay for a Funeral

Start here. This 8-step order finds the money that's owed to you before you commit to costs:

1. Pause before signing. Ask funeral homes for prices by phone and get the General Price List in writing.
2. Check military service. Find the DD214 and call the National Cemetery Scheduling Office or VA about burial benefits.
3. Check the cause of death. A crime or a declared disaster opens crime victim compensation or FEMA funeral assistance.
4. Look for insurance and burial funds. Check life insurance, employer or union policies, and any prepaid funeral contract.
5. Call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 about the $255 payment and monthly survivor benefits.
6. If there's no money, contact the county coroner, medical examiner or social services office about indigent burial before signing anything.
7. Choose lower-cost options such as direct cremation, an alternative container or a casket bought elsewhere.
8. Keep every receipt in your name. VA, crime victim programs and FEMA reimburse the person who paid.

Grantsights' free eligibility checker doesn't cover funerals, because there's no general funeral grant to match you with. If the cost of a funeral has left you short on rent, utilities or groceries, choose Individual and then Personal financial help, and it lists official routes: the USA.gov benefit finder, rental help, help with bills, food help and the 211 line. The emergency cash assistance guide and rental assistance guide explain those programs, and how to apply for grants as an individual explains why personal grants are so rare.

Sources

• SSA, What you could get from Survivor benefits (opens in a new tab)
• SSA, Who can get Survivor benefits (opens in a new tab)
• 20 CFR 404.390, Lump-sum death payment (opens in a new tab)
• 20 CFR 404.391, Widow or widower living in the same household (opens in a new tab)
• 20 CFR 404.392, Entitlement when there is no widow(er) in the same household (opens in a new tab)
• VA, Veterans burial allowance and transportation benefits (opens in a new tab)
• VA, What does burial in a VA national cemetery include? (opens in a new tab)
• VA, Eligibility for burial in a VA national cemetery (opens in a new tab)
• FEMA, COVID-19 Funeral Assistance (opens in a new tab)
• 44 CFR 206.119, Financial assistance to address other needs (opens in a new tab)
• Office for Victims of Crime, Victim Compensation (opens in a new tab)
• California Victim Compensation Board, Funeral and Burial Service Providers (opens in a new tab)
• Texas Attorney General, Funeral Cost Reimbursement (opens in a new tab)
• SSA, SSI Spotlight on Resources, 2026 edition (opens in a new tab)
• SSA POMS SI 01130.410, Burial Funds Exclusion (opens in a new tab)
• 42 CFR 435.601, Application of financial eligibility methodologies (opens in a new tab)
• FTC, The FTC Funeral Rule (opens in a new tab)
• 16 CFR 453.2, Price disclosures (opens in a new tab)
• FTC, Government Grant Scams (opens in a new tab)
• FTC, Donating Through Crowdfunding and Fundraising Platforms (opens in a new tab)