12. What if there isn't enough money to pay for the funeral?

If you ask a funeral director to conduct the funeral, you have made a contract agreeing to pay for the funeral. This means that, if you are the executor or administrator, you should do this only after you have made sure that there is enough money in the estate to pay for the funeral. Otherwise, you should be willing to pay any of the bill that won't be covered by the estate.

If you need to arrange a funeral when there is not enough money in the estate to pay for it and you are receiving a means-tested benefit, you may be eligible for a Funeral Payment grant from the Social Fund. For more information about this, contact your local Social Security Office (see 'Further help' for details of how to contact them).