HomeAnswers
Questions people ask about funerals and burial
Each answer comes first, in plain words, followed by every source it was checked against. Free to quote with a link.
How long after death is a funeral?
There is no national deadline. State paperwork and preservation rules set the timing, and some religious traditions call for burial within a day.
How long does cremation take?
The cremation itself takes 30 minutes to over two hours, but it usually happens at least 48 hours after death because of permits, scheduling and state waiting periods.
What is a columbarium?
A columbarium is an above ground structure with niches that hold cremated remains, defined in state cemetery law and used in VA national cemeteries.
What does a funeral director do?
What a funeral director is responsible for, from the death certificate and burial or cremation permits to planning the funeral, and the price rights the FTC Funeral Rule gives families.
Can you be buried on your own property?
State law decides it. Some states allow family burial on private land in writing, while California, Indiana, Louisiana, DC and North Dakota effectively rule it out on ordinary land.
Does Medicaid pay for funeral expenses?
Medicaid is health coverage, but some states pay a capped amount toward the funeral of someone on public assistance, and money set aside for burial is treated differently when applying.
Burial insurance vs life insurance, what is the difference?
Burial insurance is a kind of life insurance meant for final expenses. How it compares with term and whole life, what a graded benefit is, and how it differs from a prepaid funeral contract.
What is a wake?
A wake is a gathering to keep watch over the body before the funeral, a custom with old Celtic and Anglo Saxon roots that survives today as the visitation or, for Catholics, the vigil.
What is a viewing at a funeral?
A viewing is a time for family and friends to see the person before the funeral, with an open or closed casket. What it means for embalming and how funeral homes price it.
How long does a funeral last?
No official source sets a typical length for a funeral service. What the length depends on, and the published times for committal services at national cemeteries.
Is life insurance taxable?
Life insurance paid to a beneficiary because of a death is generally not taxable income under IRS rules, with exceptions for interest and for estates large enough to owe estate tax.
What happens to debt when you die?
Debts are generally paid from what the person left behind, and family members are generally not personally responsible unless the debt was shared. What federal agencies say collectors can and cannot do.
Can you have two life insurance policies?
Yes, you can hold more than one life insurance policy. Insurers ask about existing coverage when you apply, and state rules apply when a new policy replaces an old one.
What is a eulogy?
A eulogy is a speech praising someone who has died, usually given at the funeral. Where it fits in a service, including the Catholic rules on when family may speak.
What is a pallbearer?
A pallbearer helps carry the coffin at a funeral. How honorary pallbearers are chosen and how military casket teams work.
Are funeral expenses tax deductible?
Funeral costs cannot be deducted on a personal income tax return under IRS rules. The one exception is the federal estate tax return, which only large estates file.
What is an accelerated death benefit?
A life insurance provision that pays part of the death benefit early after a terminal or other qualifying diagnosis. How it reduces what beneficiaries receive and how the IRS treats it.
What is bereavement leave?
Time off work after a family member dies. No federal law makes private employers pay for it, but some states require leave and federal employees have their own rules.
What is a cenotaph?
A cenotaph is a monument to someone buried elsewhere, from the Greek for empty tomb. Examples from the Congressional Cemetery, and the VA memorial markers used when remains are not recovered.
What is a funeral procession?
A line of vehicles traveling with the person who died to the service or burial. What state laws say about right of way, lights and flags, and what other drivers must do.
How deep is a grave?
Not six feet. The state laws we checked require about 18 inches to 3 and a half feet of cover over the casket or vault, and the rules vary by state.