A General Price List (GPL) is the itemized list of goods and services, with prices, that every funeral home in the United States must give you when you start discussing arrangements in person. It is required by the FTC Funeral Rule (16 CFR Part 453), and you are allowed to keep it. The GPL is the single most useful document for comparing funeral homes, because it lets you see what each item costs instead of relying on package prices.
Why the GPL exists
Before the Funeral Rule took effect in 1984, families often received a single package price without knowing what each part cost. The Federal Trade Commission created the GPL requirement so consumers could choose individual items and compare providers. Today, the funeral home must hand you the list at the beginning of any in-person discussion of arrangements, goods or services, and must give price information by phone if you call and ask.
You can read the FTC's own explanation in Shopping for Funeral Services, and a full overview of your rights in our guide to the FTC Funeral Rule.
What a General Price List must include
The Funeral Rule names specific items that must appear on the GPL if the funeral home offers them. Each must show its price, or a price range where the Rule allows it.
| Required item | What it means |
|---|---|
| Basic services of funeral director and staff | The one fee that may be non-declinable. Covers planning, permits, coordination and overhead. |
| Forwarding of remains to another funeral home | Preparing and transporting a body to a provider in another city or state |
| Receiving remains from another funeral home | Accepting a body sent from elsewhere and handling local arrangements |
| Direct cremation | Cremation without a viewing or ceremony with the body present, with price shown for the container options |
| Immediate burial | Burial shortly after death without viewing or ceremony, with price shown for the container options |
| Embalming | With a required disclosure that embalming is not required by law except in certain special cases |
| Other preparation of the body | Such as cosmetology, dressing, casketing, or refrigeration |
| Transfer of remains to the funeral home | Bringing the body from the place of death |
| Use of facilities and staff for viewing | Visitation or viewing at the funeral home |
| Use of facilities and staff for a funeral ceremony | A service held at the funeral home |
| Use of facilities and staff for a memorial service | A service without the body present |
| Use of equipment and staff for a graveside service | Staffing and equipment at the cemetery |
| Hearse | Transport to the place of service or cemetery |
| Limousine | Transport for the family |
| Caskets and outer burial containers | Either individual prices or a price range, with a note that a separate price list is available |
The GPL must also carry certain written disclosures, such as your right to choose only the items you want, the statement about embalming, and, where direct cremation is offered, that you may use an alternative container.
Separate casket and container price lists
Many funeral homes keep caskets and outer burial containers (vaults and grave liners) on separate price lists. If so, the GPL shows a price range and tells you the full list is available. The funeral home must show you the casket price list before you look at caskets, and the outer burial container price list before you look at vaults. This keeps you from seeing merchandise before seeing prices.
How to read a GPL
Start with the basic services fee
This is the fee you cannot decline, so it is the baseline cost of using that funeral home. It varies widely between providers, which makes it one of the first numbers to compare.
Look at the "direct" options
Direct cremation and immediate burial are usually the lowest-cost options a funeral home offers. These prices often include the basic services fee, transfer of remains and a minimal container. Read the line carefully to see what is included and what is extra, such as the crematory fee, death certificates or the cremation permit. Our guide on direct cremation explains what is usually covered.
Check what each service actually includes
"Use of facilities for viewing" may be priced for a set number of hours or for one day. "Other preparation" may be split into dressing, cosmetology and casketing. Two funeral homes can describe similar work differently, so compare the services you plan to use, not just line names.
Identify cash advance items
Cash advance items are paid by the funeral home to others on your behalf: certified death certificates, obituary notices, clergy honoraria, flowers, musicians, cemetery fees or crematory fees charged by a separate crematory. These are often estimates on the GPL. If the funeral home adds a service charge or receives a discount it does not pass on, it must disclose that.
Note any packages
Funeral homes may offer packages, as long as each item is also available individually. A package can be good value if you would use every item in it. Compare the package price to the sum of the items you actually need.
How to compare two General Price Lists
A side-by-side comparison works best when you price the same arrangement at each funeral home.
- Decide on the type of arrangement, for example direct cremation, cremation with a memorial service, or a funeral with viewing and burial.
- List the items you need for that arrangement: basic services, transfer, embalming or refrigeration, viewing, ceremony, hearse, casket or container, and so on.
- Fill in each funeral home's price for each item from its GPL.
- Add estimated cash advance items separately, since they are often similar between providers.
- Compare totals and inclusions, not just the headline package price.
For context, the National Funeral Directors Association's 2023 General Price List Study reported a national median of $8,300 for a funeral with viewing and burial and $6,280 for a funeral with viewing and cremation. These medians do not include cemetery costs, a marker or most cash advance items, so local totals can be higher or lower. See how much does a funeral cost for a fuller breakdown.
Getting a GPL without visiting
You do not have to go to a funeral home to learn its prices.
- Call and ask. The Funeral Rule requires funeral homes to answer price questions by phone.
- Ask for the GPL by email. Many funeral homes will send it, though the Rule does not require them to mail or email it.
- Check the website. Some funeral homes publish their GPL online. Federal law does not currently require this, but some states have their own disclosure rules.
You can find funeral homes in your area through the state directory or funeral homes near me, then contact two or three to compare.
Red flags on a price list
- No GPL offered at the start of an in-person meeting.
- A required item, such as direct cremation or immediate burial, is missing even though the funeral home offers it.
- Embalming is listed as mandatory without a reason, or the embalming disclosure is missing.
- A handling fee for caskets or urns purchased elsewhere.
- Packages only, with no itemized prices.
If you see these, you can raise them with the funeral director, contact your state funeral board or attorney general, or report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.