Direct cremation: what's included, and what costs extra

A direct cremation is a cremation with no service and nobody attending. It costs about £1,628 on average. Families can hold their own gathering or memorial, at any time and anywhere.

Worked example: someone aged 72 spending £25,000 a year. Your money lasts to 95, with £48,582 left.

True or false

What people say	True or false
The direct cremation firms on TV don't collect the person who died	False. They collect. But collecting from a home or care home, rather than a hospital mortuary, can cost £260 to £275 extra.
A direct cremation includes a service	False. Nobody attends the cremation. In June 2026 the advertising watchdog ruled that a TV advert wrongly suggested a standard plan included one.
Only national firms do direct cremations	False. Many local funeral directors do, and they must publish the total price.
You can't have a memorial	False. You can hold a gathering whenever and wherever you like, with the ashes or without.

Extras to ask about

Ask whether the price includes	Why
Collection from a home or care home	Often extra, £260 to £275 with some firms
Collection at night or at a weekend	Not always included
Returning the ashes by hand	Some charge for delivery
An urn	Sometimes a basic container only
Removing a pacemaker or implant	Has to be done before a cremation
Medical examiner and referee fees	Can be shown separately

Comparing prices

• National firms give a price on their website or by phone.
• Every local funeral director has to show its price for a direct cremation, if it offers one, on a standard price list in its window and on its website.
• Comparing the same things on each list (collection, the coffin, the cremation fee, the ashes) shows the real difference.