In most states, you do not need a funeral home for cremation. You can contact a crematory directly or hire a direct cremation provider, and either route can save thousands of dollars compared with a full-service funeral package. A small number of states still require a licensed funeral director to handle specific steps such as filing the death certificate or supervising the cremation, so the answer depends on where the death occurred. Wherever you are, someone has to file a death certificate, obtain a cremation permit, and sign a cremation authorization before the crematory will proceed.
When a Funeral Director Is Legally Required
A few states, including New York and Iowa, require a licensed funeral director to handle steps like filing the death certificate or supervising the cremation. In those states, bypassing a funeral home is impractical even where it isn’t flatly prohibited. Everywhere else, families can work directly with a crematory that accepts arrangements from the public. Before you commit to any plan, call the crematory you’d like to use and ask two questions: do they take arrangements directly from families, and what paperwork do they need from you.
What You Save by Skipping the Funeral Home
The gap between a funeral home cremation and a direct cremation is the reason most people ask this question in the first place. According to industry survey data from 2023, the median cost of a funeral with cremation was $6,280, and that figure does not include cemetery or urn costs. Direct cremation typically runs between $1,000 and $3,600 depending on the area.
Direct cremation strips out the viewing, visitation, and ceremony. The body goes from the place of death to the crematory in a simple container, and the cremated remains come back to the family. Many families hold a memorial gathering later, on their own schedule, without a body present. The savings come from eliminating embalming, facility use, and elaborate caskets.
You can buy direct cremation two ways: from a funeral home that offers it as a standalone service, or from a company that only does direct cremation. The dedicated providers are usually cheaper because they don’t carry the overhead of a full funeral home. Either way, the provider handles paperwork and transportation.
Legal Steps Someone Has to Complete
Whether you hire a funeral home, use a direct cremation company, or arrange things independently, the same requirements have to be satisfied before any crematory will accept a body.
Death Certificate
A physician, medical examiner, or coroner completes and signs the death certificate confirming cause and manner of death, and it gets filed with the local vital records office. You’ll need certified copies for insurance claims and bank accounts. Copies generally run $15 to $26 each. A funeral home files this for you; if you’re working directly with a crematory, you or your designee coordinates with vital records.
Cremation Authorization
Whoever has legal authority over the remains has to sign a cremation authorization form. That’s typically the surviving spouse. If there’s no spouse, authority passes to adult children, then parents, then siblings, following the next-of-kin hierarchy your state sets out. Some states let a person designate an authorized agent in advance through a pre-need arrangement. When multiple next-of-kin share equal authority, most crematories want a majority to agree before proceeding.
Cremation Permit
A cremation permit, sometimes called a burial-transit permit, has to come from local authorities, usually the county clerk or vital statistics office. In many places the medical examiner or coroner must also sign off, confirming no further investigation is needed.
Waiting Period
Most states impose a mandatory waiting period between death and cremation, commonly 24 or 48 hours. A few have none. In practice, the paperwork takes about as long as the waiting period, so it rarely creates additional delay.
Transportation
The body has to get from the place of death to the crematory. A majority of states allow family members to transport the deceased in a private vehicle if the body is in a leak-proof container. Some states require a licensed transport service. Check the rule where you are before assuming you can do this yourself.
Arranging Cremation Directly With a Crematory
If you’re skipping the funeral home, the process usually looks like this:
- Confirm the crematory’s policies. Some only work with licensed providers. Others welcome direct family arrangements. Ask about pricing, container requirements, and their timeline before anything else.
- Handle the death certificate. Work with the attending physician and your local vital records office to get it completed and filed. This is the step families most often underestimate.
- Get the cremation permit. Once the death certificate is filed, request the cremation or burial-transit permit from the appropriate local office.
- Arrange transportation. Either drive the deceased yourself in a leak-proof container if your state allows it, or hire a licensed transport service.
- Deliver paperwork and the signed authorization. Bring the death certificate, cremation permit, and signed authorization form to the crematory. They’ll confirm a timeline and tell you when to collect the remains.
Turnaround from the crematory is typically a few days to a week, though it can stretch during busy periods. Unless you provide an urn, the remains usually come back in a temporary plastic container.
Your Rights Under the FTC Funeral Rule
Any funeral provider you deal with, whether a full-service funeral home or a direct cremation company, is bound by the Federal Trade Commission’s Funeral Rule at 16 CFR 453.1Federal Trade Commission. Funeral Industry Practices Rule A few points are worth knowing before you sign anything:
- The provider must give you a General Price List when you start discussing services or prices, in person or over the phone, with every item priced individually.
- No provider can tell you that law requires a casket for direct cremation, and each must offer at least one alternative container made from something like fiberboard or pressed wood.
- Embalming is not required by law for cremation. If you’re not viewing the body, you cannot be charged for embalming unless you specifically approved it.
- A provider cannot refuse to handle a casket or urn you bought elsewhere, and cannot charge you a fee for using it.
- You have the right to select individual goods and services rather than a package. The only non-negotiable charge is the provider’s basic services fee.
If a provider pushes back on any of these, that’s a compliance violation you can report to the FTC.
Pacemakers and Other Implants
Pacemakers and other battery-powered implants must be removed before cremation. Lithium batteries can explode at cremation temperatures, which is a real hazard for staff and equipment. Crematories will ask about implanted devices on their authorization form and won’t proceed until removal is confirmed. If you’re arranging things independently, ask the crematory what documentation they want proving the device was taken out; you’ll need to coordinate with a medical professional to get it done.
Help Paying for Cremation
Even direct cremation can strain a family budget. A few programs help offset the cost.
Social Security pays a one-time lump-sum death benefit of $255 to an eligible surviving spouse, or to qualifying children if there’s no spouse. You have to apply within two years of the death.2Social Security Administration. Lump-Sum Death Payment The amount hasn’t been updated since 1954, so it won’t cover much.
For veterans, the VA provides a burial allowance whether the family chooses burial or cremation. For deaths on or after October 1, 2025, the allowance is up to $1,002 for burial or cremation expenses, plus up to $1,002 for a plot or interment when the remains are not placed in a VA national cemetery.3U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Veterans Burial Allowance and Transportation Benefits
Some counties and states run indigent burial or cremation assistance programs for families who can’t afford disposition costs. Eligibility varies. Your county social services office can tell you what’s available where you live.