What Does A Funeral Cost?
Here in Ballarat funerals tend to cost in the vicinity of $6,000 to $10,000 depending on what your requirements are. The level of service, casket or coffin choice, burial or cremation and the host of other costs we pay on your behalf (disbursements) all add up to make the final cost a very individual entity.
The overall funeral cost is made up of four elements:
The Funeral Directors Fees
These fees are directly associated with our business and will vary according to your requirements and wishes. They include:
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Our service fee which consists of different levels according to your needs and
includes all the tasks involved in arranging and conducting a funeral -
Transfer fees for transporting the deceased outside of business hours or overlong distances
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Mortuary or embalming care
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Orders of service or Mass booklets
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Photo presentation (slideshow)
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Catering at our funeral home
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Overall these fees generally fall between $2500 to $4000
The Coffin or Casket Fees
These are a personal choice and the cost will vary according to your selection.
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Coffin prices range from $925 to $3,240
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Casket prices range from $2,510 to $5,815
Cemetery/Cremation Fees
These fees are set by the various cemetery trusts and are the same for all funeral directors. They vary according to your selection. We can pay them on your behalf or you can pay directly to the cemetery trust to avoid the GST component on some products. They may include:
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The purchase of a new grave
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To re open an existing grave
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The cremation
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Memorialisation of cremated remains (the ashes)
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Plaques and monuments
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A cremation is around $900 and a new lawn grave is around $3400
Disbursements
These fees are the same for all funeral directors and are determined by the various suppliers. We also pay them on your behalf to contribute to the funeral in
accordance with your wishes.
They may include:
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Clergy or celebrant fees
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Cremation certificate from the pathologist
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Death certificate from the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages
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Flowers for the coffin, church and/or the graveside
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Organist or musicians
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Newspaper notices
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External catering
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Venue hire
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Overall these fees generally fall between $500 to $1500
Please note that when we quote prices the GST component is included. When comparing prices it is important to make sure the GST is incorporated in the costs. Current taxation laws state that when purchased through your funeral director we have to add the GST and remit this to the Australian Taxation Office but you can save yourself the GST component on some products by purchasing these products directly from the cemetery or crematorium yourself.
To give you an idea of overall fees we have put together estimates of the most common types of funeral services.
Dual service funerals:
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A church or chapel service followed by a burial at the Ballarat Cemetery into a new grave.
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A church or chapel service followed by a burial at the Ballarat Cemetery into an existing grave.
Single service funeral:
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A church or chapel service with no attendance at the crematorium. There are other types of services available such as our Essential Care Service limited service funeral which can help to reduce costs, a Memorial Service or the Direct Disposition Service (no funeral service) and, of course, there are variations on all of the above.
We have also included our General Price List in the following pages to give you a more detailed explanation of our fees.
Please note that while all care was taken in placing these costs and fees on ourwebsite and were accurate when posted they may vary at any given time. We recommend that for a more accurate estimate that you contact one of our funeral consultants. Our consultants are available 24 hours a day and can meet you at our funeral home or at your premises with no obligation or cost to talk about arranging or pre arranging a funeral.
Download our Planning a Funeral Guide here.