The Final Duties Funeral Plan

Every year more than 100,000 people decide to buy a Funeral Prepayment Plan. There are three good reasons to consider buying a Prepayment Plan.

Financial Benefits

You can freeze the cost of the funeral at today’s prices. In recent years the increase in funeral costs has far outpaced inflation.

Peace of Mind

You will ensure that money is set aside to pay for the ceremony and that final wishes are respected.

Peace of Mind for your Family

Your family will be spared from the worry of making arrangements and paying for the funeral at a very emotional time.

Final Duties offers a choice of 4 plans including a Green Funeral Plan. All funerals will be carried out by a member of The National Association of Funeral Directors.

For further details call us now on 0800 731 8722.

What is Included?

The Final Duties Funeral Plan includes the following:

Providing guidance to the family or executors on the registration of the death and other matters relevant to the funeral.
Transfer of the deceased to the funeral director’s premises from anywhere in the local area (i.e. a thirty mile radius of the local funeral director’s premises). If a transfer is required from further away this will incur additional costs at the time.
Taking care of the deceased until the funeral and providing facilities for viewing by the family at the funeral director's premises, including preparation and dressing in a suitable gown or clothes supplied by the family. Viewing is usually available by appointment during normal office hours.
The supply of a coffin. There are various options available at a range of prices.
Making all the arrangements for the funeral and providing a funeral director, drivers and bearers for the funeral service.
Supply of a hearse for the funeral.
You can include one or more chauffeur-driven limousines for mourners.
Receiving flowers for the funeral, or charitable donations in lieu of flowers, and providing a list of donors for the family or executors.

You can also include a contribution towards other funeral expenses or ”disbursements“such as crematorium or cemetery fees, church fees, flowers, memorials and press notices. We cannot guarantee these costs against inflation because they are not provided by the funeral director or by Funeral Planning Services. The actual cost of these items will vary depending on the circumstances at the time of the funeral. Usually the family like to choose flowers, press notices and memorials themselves.

Funeral Plan Options

THE PINE PLAN

Guidance by the funeral director on the registration of the death and advice on social and religious matters.
The funeral director’s travel to collect the deceased during normal office hours, up to twenty miles round trip (i.e. ten miles each way) excluding air or ferry charges and tolls.
Care of the deceased. The facilities and preparation for viewing are not included in this plan.
The supply of a plain coffin.
The funeral director to make all the arrangements, liaise with the minister and others involved, and attend to the necessary administration.
The supply of a hearse with a funeral director and staff, to meet the family at the local crematorium or cemetery. No procession is provided for in this plan.

THE BEECH PLAN

Guidance by the funeral director on the registration of the death and advice on social and religious customs.
The funeral director’s travel to collect the deceased at any time of day or night as required, up to fifty miles round trip (i.e. twenty-five miles each way) excluding air or ferry charges and tolls.
Care of the deceased in accordance with the wishes of the family, as well as viewing at the funeral director’s chapel of rest.
The supply of a wood-effect veneered coffin with traditional fittings, gown and interior lining.
The funeral director to make all the arrangements, liaise with the minister and others involved, and attend to the necessary administration.
The supply of a hearse and one limousine with a funeral director and a full complement of uniformed staff on the day of the funeral. The cortege can proceed from a local private address to a local place of worship (if required) then to the local crematorium or cemetery.

THE OAK PLAN

Guidance by the funeral director on the registration of the death and advice on social and religious customs.
The funeral director’s travel to collect the deceased at any time of day or night as required, up to a hundred miles round trip (i.e. fifty miles each way) excluding air or ferry charges and tolls.
Care of the deceased in accordance with the wishes of the family, as well as viewing at the funeral director’s chapel of rest.
The supply of a superior quality coffin with traditional fittings (for example finished in a wood veneer with panelled sides and additional mouldings around the lid) complete with a gown and interior lining.
The funeral director to make all the arrangements, liaise with the minister and others involved, and attend to the necessary administration.
The supply of a hearse and two limousines with a funeral director and a full complement of uniformed staff on the day of the funeral. The cortege can proceed from a local private address to a local church (if required) then to the local crematorium or cemetery.
Listing of flowers and charitable donations received.

THE GREEN PLAN

Guidance by the funeral director on the registration of the death and advice on social and religious customs.
The funeral director’s travel to collect the deceased at any time of day or night as required, up to fifty miles round trip (i.e. twenty-five miles each way) excluding air or ferry charges and tolls.
Care of the deceased in accordance with the wishes of the family, as well as viewing at the funeral director’s chapel of rest.
The supply of an environmentally friendly basket-weave coffin with biodegradable fittings, gown and interior lining.
The funeral director to make all the arrangements, liaise with the minister and others involved, and attend to the necessary administration.
The supply of a hearse, funeral director and staff on the day of the funeral. The cortege can proceed from a local private address to a local place of worship (if required) then to the local crematorium or cemetery. No limousine is included in this plan.
A tree planted in memory of the plan holder, arranged by Funeral Planning Services Limited – individual trees are not marked but a commemorative certificate will be issued at the time of the funeral.

OPTIONAL CONTRIBUTION TO DISBURSEMENTS

Any plan can also include a contribution towards other expenses or “disbursements”, such as cemetery or cremation fees, church fees, minister’s and doctors’ fees, etc. The value of the contribution will be increased at the end of each full calendar year after the plan is fully paid for, with reference to the Retail Prices Index, but please note that we cannot guarantee to cover these costs as they are outside of our control. Typical disbursement costs for any area can be advised to the agent (the national average for a cremation is currently £750). The actual cost of disbursements will depend on individual circumstances at the time of the funeral.

Funeral Plans Prices

Final Duties Funeral Plan Prices 2010

Plan prices excluding optional contribution to disbursements

*Discretionary payment at the time of the funeral to members of The Guild of Professional Funeral Directors.

Disbursements

If you pay for your plan within three months you also have the option to include a contribution towards other expenses, such as crematorium or cemetery fees, minister‘s or church fees, press notices etc. These fees are known as “disbursements“ and a suggested amount is noted on the price list, based on today's costs. You can include more or less than the suggested amount, or you can leave these costs to be dealt with at the time of the funeral. Whatever amount you include will be increased annually in line with the Retail Prices Index, but please note that these costs are outside our control and cannot always be predicted in advance, so they cannot be guaranteed. Please do not hesitate to call Funeral Planning Services if you need advice about disbursements.

If you pay for your plan by instalments, your monthly payments will cover the main cost of the funeral as itemised and you will have the option to add a contribution to disbursements at a later stage.

Funeral Planning Trust

Funeral Planning Trust was established in 1995 to provide a secure method of paying for funerals in advance, for the benefit of independent funeral directors and their clients.

Funeral Planning Services Ltd is registered as a funeral plan provider with the Funeral Planning Authority and complies with the Funeral Planning Authority Code of Practice for Prepaid Funerals. Funeral Planning Services is also a member of the National Association for Pre-paid Funeral Plans, a supplier member of the National Association of Funeral Directors and an associate member of the Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors.

For more information about Funeral Planning Trust please click on the link below.

How do I purchase a Plan?

Purchasing a plan is easy - and it only takes a few minutes to deal with:

Consider the range of options on the enclosed price list and decide which one suits you best. If in doubt we recommend that you choose a simpler option, because your family can always add extra services at the time if they need them.
Choose whether to make a single payment or pay by monthly instalments and complete the appropriate application form.
Do you have any questions? If so please call Final Duties on 0800731 8722. If you call within normal office hours a real person will answer you - not a machine!
Complete the online application and pay a £25 deposit, then we will post your plan documents together with an invoice for the balance as a single payment due within three months or, if you elect to pay by instalments, we will send a banker's order form for you to approve and sign.

Your Funeral Plan Guarantee

Once you have paid for your plan Funeral Planning Services will send you a Funeral Plan Guarantee Certificate, confirming your plan details and the fact that there will be nothing more to pay for the services itemised.

If you choose to pay by instalments, your payment plan and plan details will be confirmed and the guarantee certificate will be issued when the instalments have been completed.

The Funeral Plan Guarantee Certificate comes complete with practical information for your relatives or executor on what they should do at the time of the funeral, your personal wishes for the funeral and where your important documents are kept.

Everything is designed to make things as easy as possible for you and your family.

This plan complies with the requirements of the Funeral Services and Markets Act 2000.

Funeral Planning Code of Practice

This prepayment plan is covered by the Code of Practice of the Funeral Planning Authority, which sets out to ensure:

Fair terms and conditions for the customer
Security of funds, with strict controls over the custodianship of funds and regular monitoring by independent experts
A procedure for the independent arbitration of complaints.