The cost of a funeral is far from negligible. According to a study by Silver Alliance, in collaboration with Simplifia, which analyzed nearly 51,000 funerals organized last year (or 8% of the total), this average cost for families reached 4,730 euros.
“This figure reflects the significant financial burden that funerals represent for families, particularly in a context where 60% of family members in charge of funerals are mainly women (59%), are over 60 years old (60%) and are often receive limited income,” we can read.
Remember that the average amount of retirement pensions in France is 1,400 euros.
This average shows strong disparities depending on the region. Normandy and Ile-de-France are the places where they are most expensive: 5,350 and 5,317 euros on average.
On the contrary, Occitania (4,362 euros), the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region (4,399 euros) and New Aquitaine (4,452 euros) are among the cheapest.
Cremation preferred for its price.
Faced with this high bill, families are increasingly opting for cremation, which is cheaper than burial (4,434 euros compared to 5,044 euros), a trend that has been confirmed year after year since 2005. They represent 43.5% of funerals in the panel studied.
Especially since funerals are not just about burial or cremation. Families pay an average of 1,115 additional euros for optional services such as floral arrangements, publication of obituaries or funeral monuments.
For some families, this cost is sometimes too high. In addition to funeral insurance that everyone can take out, other systems allow heirs or people who pay funeral expenses to cover this expense.
If the deceased was a civil servant, his family can request payment of a death benefit (article D712-19 of the social security code), paid under conditions.
Help to finance funerals
If the deceased was an employee in the private sector, the beneficiaries can request the payment of a death benefit from the Primary Health Insurance Fund (CPAM) on which the deceased depended at the time of death, also subject to conditions. Its fixed amount is 3,909.94 euros.
If the deceased was retired, the person paying the funeral expenses can request reimbursement from the national old-age insurance fund for salaried workers (Cnav) if he or she owes money to the deceased (late pension). The refund amount has a limit of 2,286.74 euros.
If the deceased was looking for employment, the person who lived as a partner with him can apply for a death benefit by mail to the Pôle emploi agency on which he depended. This allowance is equivalent to 120 times the daily allowance that the deceased received or was going to receive.
Finally, for people whose resources do not allow them to pay funeral expenses and who do not benefit from aid to cover them, it is possible to ask the municipality to cover funeral expenses free of charge or to pay funeral expenses. as indicated in article L2223-27 of the General Code of Local Authorities.
Source: BFM TV