Study: One in 10 struggle to pay for funerals

One in 10 people struggle to meet the costs associated with the death of a loved one with many forced to take on debt, research has indicated. Skip related content

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Providing a funeral and memorial, as well as covering probate fees and other costs associated with dying, sets the average family back by £6,801, according to financial services firm Sun Life Direct.

But despite the sum falling by nearly £300 from its 2009 peak, 10 per cent of people said they struggled to give their loved ones the send-off they wanted.

One in five of these people said they had to use a credit card to cover the costs, while 20 per cent borrowed money from friends, 4 per cent took out a loan and 5 per cent sold some of their belongings.

But 10 per cent of people said they had been forced to cut back on funeral arrangements because of financial constraints, while the same proportion cashed in savings and investments.

Nearly half of people had not made any provisions to cover the cost of their funeral before they died, while 41 per cent of people arranging a service said they did not know exactly what their loved one would have wanted.

People in London face the highest costs associated with dying, at an average of £9,367, while those in Wales face the lowest at £5,451.