Do you need help with funeral costs for a family member?
The death of a family member is stressful. Funeral expenses can add to that stress. The Funeral Benefit is here to help New Brunswick families who are unable to pay for funeral costs.
What kind of costs are covered?
The Funeral Benefit covers the costs of a basic funeral. A basic funeral has several options that families can choose between.
Casket or Cremation Service:
Families can choose to respect the wishes of their loved one by choosing between a casket service or cremation service.
Costs that are covered for a Casket Service:
- A basic casket
- Embalming
Costs that are covered for a Cremation Service:
- Preparation for cremation
- Cremation container
Also, you can choose to include a visitation and/ or a funeral service.
Costs that are covered for a Public Visitation:
- A two-hour visitation at a Funeral Home or other location.
- A casket viewing can be provided when a family has chosen a cremation service.
Costs that are covered for a Funeral/ Memorial Service:
- Funeral service at a funeral home or other location.
What kind of costs aren’t covered?
- Casket cap panels
- Cemetery plot or niche
- Cement, steel, fibreglass or plastic vault
- Flowers
- Funeral notices, death notices, obituaries
- Honorarium for the Minister
- Honorarium of the organist
- Honorarium for the singer(s)
- Monument or monument inscription
- Register book, acknowledgement cards or personalized memorial folders or memorialization products/ merchandise
- Suitable clothing
- Urn
- Wooden grave liner
Sometimes a family cannot cover the full amount of the basic funeral costs but are able to contribute to some of it. If this happens, the family’s portion of the cost must be paid directly to the local Social Development office.
What kind of help will I get?
Social Development will only cover the cost of a basic funeral.
The Department of Social Development will assess eligibility on a case-by-case basis.
Any family in New Brunswick who is unable to pay the costs of a family member’s funeral may be eligible to get this benefit. The deceased individual must have been a resident of New Brunswick at the time of passing.
The Department of Social Development will look at several factors when assessing if you’re eligible for the Funeral Benefit. It will consider your household income (earnings, allowances, pensions, revenue from business and investments, etc.) and living expenses, including funeral costs, to determine if the individual’s estate or family members within the household are able to pay for funeral costs.
Family members who do not live in the household may be asked if they can contribute toward the cost of the funeral.
The Canada Pension Plan (CPP) death benefit is a one-time, lump-sum payment to the estate on behalf of a deceased CPP contributor. If you’re approved for a basic funeral, the CPP death benefit must be signed over to the Department of Social Development.. To learn more about the CPP death benefit click here.
If you can, it’s best to call as soon as possible after the deceased has passed away to apply for the Funeral Benefit.
Everyone who applies for the Funeral Benefit will go through an application process to find out if they qualify.
To apply, call your local Social Development office via their toll-free phone number (see above for office contact info). Press 1 for English or 2 for French. Then press 2. Tell the agent you would like to apply for the Funeral Benefit.
The agent will ask you some questions about your situation and the financial situation of the deceased and their estate. They will ask about your income and the income of other household family members including earnings, pensions, etc. They will also ask about your monthly expenses like your rent/ mortgage, transportation costs, food costs, bills, etc.
The agent is trying to figure out if you may be eligible for the benefit. The call will last between 15-30 minutes. Two things could happen after talking to the agent:
- If the agent thinks you may be eligible for the benefit they will book you an in-person appointment with a Needs Assessor at your local Social Development office to complete your application.
Or
- The agent will tell you that you don’t qualify based on your income and expenses. If you are turned down, you have the right to ask for a review of that decision.
If you are given an appointment with a Needs Assessor you will have to gather documents for yourself and others living in the household to bring to your appointment. See the complete list of documents in the “What do I need to apply?” section below. Others living in the household could include sister, brother, parent, child, grandparent, spouse and common-law spouse. If you don’t have all the documents when you go for your appointment you can drop them off later, but a final decision can only happen after all the documents have been given to the Needs Assessor.
Once the Needs Assessor has all the documents they will complete your application and tell you if you have been approved. If you’re approved you must have the funeral home send a copy of the death certificate and funeral invoice directly to your local Social Development office.
Here is what you may need to bring with you if you meet with the Needs Assessor. You will need documents that show how much money the deceased, their spouse and any other family members in the household would have. These include:
- Pay stubs,
- Notice of Assessment from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA),
- Canada Pension Plan (CPP) statement,
- Old Age Security (OAS) statement,
- GST Credit
You will also need to bring the following documents:
- Name, date of birth, social insurance number, Medicare number and last address of the deceased.
- Income of the deceased — last deposit for the deceased will be required.
- Bank information — trust accounts, insurance, all assets (homes, vehicles) and individual(s) who will acquire them upon death.
- Copy of the will if one exists.
- Copy of the obituary.
- Coverage under Veterans Affairs Canada — Last Post Fund if eligible.
- Names, addresses and telephone numbers of all immediate family members.