Funeral Cost Calculator

Nobody likes talking about funeral costs, and the industry sometimes exploits exactly that. In grief there is no time or strength to compare three quotes, and so sums quickly add up that far exceed what is necessary. The funeral cost calculator brings transparency to an opaque topic: it shows the typical cost blocks of each type of funeral so you can make an informed, dignified decision without being taken advantage of.

The type of funeral is the biggest lever. A burial with its own grave plot is usually the most expensive, because coffin, grave usage rights, and grave care over years add up. A cremation with an urn is often below that. Sea, tree, and anonymous burials save the ongoing grave care and are frequently cheaper. The calculator puts the types side by side so you see the differences not just by gut feeling but in numbers.

Every funeral involves several cost blocks that are often billed separately: the undertaker's services, the fees of the cemetery and municipality, the costs of the ceremony, headstone, and flowers, and official fees such as for the death certificate. The calculator makes these blocks visible so you recognise where the total comes from and where there is room.

When the money is lacking, there is the social funeral. Under Section 74 SGB XII the social welfare office covers the necessary funeral costs when they cannot reasonably be expected of the person obliged to pay. This is not a charity rule but a legal entitlement - many relatives know nothing of it and pay out of pocket although they would not have to. The calculator flags this option and clarifies who counts as liable.

For tax, funeral costs can under certain conditions be deducted. To the extent they exceed the estate, they can be claimed as an extraordinary burden under Section 33 EStG, and in part as an estate liability for inheritance tax. The calculator explains which route applies when, so a part of the costs ends up with the tax office and not only with you.

Everything runs in your browser without your inputs being stored. The calculator is expressly not a sales platform and recommends no funeral home - it only hands you the numbers and legal bases so you keep control in a hard time and can decide calmly.