The Funeral Rule: Your Right to Funeral Pricing Info

What Is the Funeral Rule?

Did you know?… In the US if you call a funeral home they are required to give you pricing over the phone! You do NOT have to go in person, you don’t even have to share your contact information. It’s true, and it’s federally mandated. In 1984 (amended in 1994), the Federal Trade Commission introduced the “Funeral Rule”  (it was amended in 1994!).

“You must give consumers who telephone your place of business and ask about your prices or offerings accurate information from your General Price List, Casket Price List, and Outer Burial Container Price List. You also must answer any other questions about your offerings and prices with any readily available information that reasonably answers the question”

— https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/complying-funeral-rule#e17

What Funeral Homes Are Required to Tell You

If you call a funeral home and ask about pricing, they must provide accurate information from:

• Their General Price List

• Their Casket Price List

• Their Outer Burial Container Price List

They must also answer any other reasonable questions about services or costs using information they already have available.

What They Cannot Require

In other good news, they can’t (like many other types of businesses looking to sell you things, or add you to mailing or advertising lists) request the following:

• Require you to come in person to get prices

• Require your name, phone number, or address before answering

• Refuse to answer questions if you choose to remain anonymous

You may be asked to identify yourself, but even if you refuse, they still must provide the information.

The guidelines go on to specifically state:

Note: You cannot require callers to give their names, addresses, or phone numbers before you give them the requested information. You can ask callers to identify themselves, but you still must answer their questions even if they refuse to do so. You cannot require consumers to come to the funeral home in person to get price information.

Why the Funeral Rule Matters

Handling funeral arrangements is already emotionally exhausting. The Funeral Rule exists to protect families from:

• High-pressure sales tactics

• Price opacity

• Being forced into in-person meetings during grief

It gives you the right to gather information privately, calmly, and on your own terms.

What to Do If a Funeral Home Pushes Back

If a funeral home refuses to give pricing over the phone or insists you visit first, they are violating federal regulations.

You can:

• Politely reference the FTC Funeral Rule

• End the call and contact another provider

• File a complaint with the FTC if necessary

Learn More About Your Rights

Now you know that you have protections against any sales tactics or struggles in making a really difficult phone call, thanks to the FTC.

Check out the Code of Federal Regulations page on the Funeral Rule for even more on the other protections offered by the Funeral Rule!