Prices

PRICES

Servicing funerals in Cam, Dursley, Thornbury, Tetbury and surrounding areas


A "basic" funeral service is about £3,000 but the average funeral can be around £4,000-£4,500.


However, we believe that you should only pay for what you use and that’s why we don’t price our funeral service in packages (except some pre-paid funerals); we price each funeral service according to what services we provide to you.  Below you can choose many of the most popular services for a burial or cremation and find out how much the funeral is likely to be.  If your requirements are not listed, please contact us and we will be pleased to help in person.

Although we have tried to be as accurate as possible this is only a guide and a more accurate estimate is always given after we have received your instructions.


"I just want to be cremated", Cremation without a service, or "Direct to Crem"


A popular service being offered for funerals are "Direct Cremations" where there is no service - the coffin is simply conveyed to the crematorium, without a service. We are able to provide such a facility but there are pros and cons for this approach and we can offer you a choice to best suit your needs, for example:


1. we can provide a service for about £1900 where the cremation is local, probably early in the morning, family may sometimes be able to attend and witness the bringing in of the coffin, we normally arrange for some music to play while we do this in a respectful and dignified way. The ashes are available from the next day but our normal procedures apply.


2. a slightly cheaper service is available for about £1500 where the cremation takes place further away, by a third-party cremation facility, but the date and time of the cremation may not be known and no one can attend. The ashes are delivered to us 7 days later.


Doing funerals in this way can save a lot of money, but some people may find that not being able to attend a funeral service can be upsetting and make greiving more difficult. It is possible to have a service of thanksgiving, celebration service or other style of service instead, and we would be happy to discuss this with you.


Deposits, disbursements and down-payments


Disbursements is a term used for payments made by a funeral director to a third party for their services on behalf of the family. This includes, the crematorium, doctors, officiant, cemetery authorities and gravedigger.


The disbursements can amount to a large amount, usually more than £1000, and are usually paid up-front by us. Being a small business this can affect our cashflow and so we ask, where possible, for 50% of our estimated costs upfront, before the funeral. Please speak to us if this is difficult - we're here to help.


Get an estimated price...


The following form can help to give you an idea ofwhat the likely price of the funeral will be according to the options you choose for the funeral. This is only meant as a guide and does not represent all of the funeral options available as there are so many choices. Please speak to us for more information about any of these things.

Full list of prices


You can download our Standardised Price List (as required by the CMA) and our Additional Options Price List is also available. However, due to the complex nature of our services, please speak to us to get a better understanding of services available to you and their prices.  We can provide you with a no obligation estimate of costs before you decide.


Paying for the funeral


We understand that these can be difficult times financially and so we try to offer terms that reflect these circumstances. We aim to send you an invoice shortly after the funeral.  Our normal terms are for payment within 30 days. Payment can be by (in order of preference):

  • bank transfer direct to our bank (account number: 70784259, sort code: 08-92-50, please use your invoice number as a reference and please send an e-mail to accounts@lwclutterbuck.co.uk)
  • cheque (payable to "L.W.Clutterbuck Ltd", please write the invoice number on the reverse of the cheque)
  • cash (please consider your security when carrying or keeping cash)
  • credit or debit card (either at our office or over the phone)


If you are expecting to have difficulty paying the full amount in one go, we will be happy to discuss a regular payment plan which can be paid by Direct Debit. Depending on the circumstances this could be interest free. Please let us know as soon as possible so that we can make the necessary arrangements.


Probate


Probate is the term used to describe the legal process of sorting out the deceased’s estate. Even if a will has been made an assessment needs to be made by the Probate Office (a department of the government) as to how the estate should be administered. Some instructions on how to do it yourself are available but we advise you to involve a professional.  More information can be found online at www.courtservice.gov.uk or by phoning Principal Registry of the Family Division on 020 7947 7159 or the National Probate and Inheritance Tax helpline on 0845 3020900. We understand that this can take a few months to complete and we are happy to deal with solicitors directly if you would prefer.


Insurance policies


Insurance Companies sometimes need to see the Grant of Probate before it will pay out, see above. If no Grant of Probate is required you would have to contact the Insurance Company to see what they require before the payment can be made. At the very minimum they will need a Certified Copy of the Entry in the Register of Deaths, i.e. “certified copy of the death certificate”, and possibly an indemnity from the payee.


Getting help: The Social Fund


If the person paying the bill (not the deceased) is receiving any of the following benefits: Income support, Job seekers allowance, Council Tax support or Sickness Allowance; you may be entitled to a contribution from the “Social Fund”. The amount paid normally only covers “essential” costs such as: coffin, cremation fees, doctors fees, etc. The remainder will have to be paid from other funds. Please note, any amount awarded will be payable directly to us. For more information please contact the local JobCentre Plus.


Bereavement Payment


If the spouse of the deceased is under pensionable age and the deceased paid a certain amount of National Insurance contributions (stamp) the surviving spuse may possibly be entitled to a one-off grant (currently £2000 (2017)).  For more information please contact the local JobCentre Plus.