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Advice

Do you have to pay for a child's funeral?

by Laura Clipson

• Published 01/11/2021

For most, losing a child is unthinkable - a tragedy that most parents can’t even imagine having to go through, let alone prepare for. Unfortunately, some parents do go through this, and are then faced with arranging a funeral for their child. At an already emotional time, the expense of paying for the funeral can only add to the distress.

The Children’s Funeral Fund was established in July 2019, meaning that anyone living in England would no longer be charged for a standard burial or cremation of a child under the age of 18. Scotland and Wales both have similar schemes in place.

The scheme covers the burial and cremation fees, and also includes a £300 contribution towards a coffin, casket or shroud.

The scheme is available to all families, regardless of income or nationality. The only conditions are that the child must have been under the age of 18 at the time of death, or stillborn after the 24th week of pregnancy, and the burial or cremation must take place in England.

The Funeral Director dealing with the funeral will claim the money back from the scheme themselves, however parents can claim directly if they choose not to use a Funeral Director.

Who are the Child Funeral Charity and what do they do?

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The Child Funeral Charity is there to fund any elements of the funeral that are not covered by the government, such as flowers, orders of ceremony and memorials. Visit their website childfuneralcharity.org.uk for more information.

Every year in England there are around 3800 deaths of children under the age of 18, and around 2700 stillbirths. The Children’s Funeral Fund scheme was put in place to lessen the financial burden on bereaved parents, at a time when they are already struggling emotionally.

Main notices placed in any of our publications or on our website for children under 18 are also free of charge. These are usually placed by the Funeral Director, but can also be placed privately.

Thank you for reading. If you’d like to know more about the fund, please visit the website: gov.uk/child-funeral-costs. If you are grieving and need support, please visit our bereavement support section: funeral-notices.co.uk/bereavement.