BLOG POST
Do funeral directors need their own crowdfunding platform to help bereaved families?
We ask the question because, according to SunLife’s latest Cost of Dying Report, many bereaved families are turning to crowdfunding and loan sharks to pay for funerals. This trend, the over-50s life insurer says, comes as the cost of a traditional service saw its biggest annual increase since 2016.
A traditional attended funeral jumped 5.3 percent to £4,510 last year, SunLife’s 2026 Cost of Dying Report claims. Meanwhile, a simple attended funeral, which includes the core elements of a traditional service but with fewer add-ons such as a memorial and flowers, is now the most common choice in the UK, costing an average of £3,828.
When teamed with a memorial, catering, venue hire and flowers, total spending on the average funeral rose to £5,140, SunLife claims.
Rising prices have been driven by increased cremation and burial fees, higher coffin prices, and increased living costs.
Some 15 percent of families say they have faced financial hardship paying for a funeral, having to find an extra £2,365 on average. More than one in 10 (12 percent) of those facing financial difficulty turned to crowdfunding to cover funeral costs, while 8 percent reported borrowing money from an unregulated lender or loan shark.
SAIF urges caution over SunLife figures
However, leading funeral profession trade association SAIF has challenged the figures, arguing that the popular narrative of “soaring funeral costs” is now obsolete and driven more by the insurance industry’s need to sell high-value policies than by accurate market data.
Research conducted in partnership with Funeral Solution Expert last year revealed that the actual average amount spent by UK consumers on a funeral in 2025 was £3,942, well below the figures cited by insurers.
The association is warning that these inflated averages rely on a “rigid fusion” of traditional fees that fails to reflect the modern mix of simple and direct options families actually choose.
In fact, SAIF notes that by “voting with their wallets,” consumers have driven down the cost of direct cremation from independent directors to just £1,873 this year.
Planning and preparation can yield savings
The SunLife report also found that those who knew some of the deceased’s funeral preferences were able to save an average of £335 on a send-off compared with those who did not.
Meanwhile, direct cremations, costing an average of £1,628, are now chosen for 21 percent of funerals – with the majority of cases involving the deceased having planned the arrangements.
However, 86 percent of those who opted for a direct cremation still chose to hold a memorial, wake or celebration of life, bringing the full spending to an average of £2,949.
Some 70 percent of people make some form of provision for their funeral to ease the burden on those left behind, such as savings, funeral plans, and life insurance, the study found.
Read the full Sunlife Cost of Dying Report 2026 here
Recent Blog Posts
-
FM Insights NFE special: Purpose-led innovation with Hannah Leverton
Hannah Leverton talks to us about the impact of modern marketing and digital transformation on Leverton & Sons.
-
Don’t wait till 2028: use this year’s NFE to evaluate funeral compliance tools
The 2026 National Funeral Exhibition presents a unique opportunity for businesses to get ahead of the curve.
-
FM Insights: Embracing change with Helen Wathall MBE
Helen Wathall MBE discusses leadership, legacy and embracing change in a modern funeral profession.