Where the money can come from
The NSW Government’s guide lists the places money for a funeral can come from: a funeral fund the person paid into, their estate, a prepaid plan, super or life insurance, the Department of Veterans’ Affairs for a returned service person, an insurance fund, registered clubs, associations and trade unions, and bereavement assistance. This page covers the schemes outside the person’s own savings and plans.
The DVA funeral benefit
Under the Veterans’ Entitlements Act, a funeral benefit is a one-off payment of up to $3,000, as at October 2026, towards the funeral costs of an eligible veteran or dependant. It can cover:
- memorial ceremonies or similar observances;
- the cost of a burial, a cremation or another lawful form of disposal;
- transporting the veteran’s body from the place of death.
If the executor or nominated representative asks, DVA can pay the funeral director directly.
| Who | What to do | |
|---|---|---|
| Paid automatically | Veterans receiving the Special rate (TPI) or the Extreme Disablement Adjustment rate of Disability Compensation Payment, or that payment with a multiple amputee allowance, and former prisoners of war. | DVA processes the benefit once it is told of the death. A claim can also be made under the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act. |
| By application | Other veterans who died from an accepted service-related disability; in financial difficulty; in an institution such as a hospital or nursing home, or travelling to or from one; after discharge from an institution where they were treated for a terminal illness; or while being treated at home for a terminal illness. | The estate or a dependant applies, within 12 months of the death or of the date it was accepted as war-caused. |
| Dependants | An eligible veteran’s dependants, such as a war widow or widower, a child under 16, or a full-time student under 25. | Apply within 12 months of the dependant’s death. |
The same DVA page adds that from 1 July 2026 there are two rates for funeral expenses. A veteran who is automatically entitled is paid the lower rate without applying, and a claim for more, up to the higher rate, can also be made under the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act.
For members and former members of the Defence Force covered by the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act, compensation for funeral costs can be awarded in set circumstances, and as at 1 July 2026 there are two rates of payment, a lower and a higher. The Defence Force currently meets all costs of a military funeral for members who die while still serving.
Victims of crime support
If a person died as a result of a homicide in NSW, up to $9,500 for funeral expenses is available from the Victims Support Scheme, as at October 2026. The expenses it can cover include the use of facilities, cremation and burial fees, printing such as service sheets, and wake-related expenses. The NSW Government says you need to apply “within 2 years from the date the death was established as a homicide, or within 2 years of turning 18 if you were a child at the time”.
In Queensland, the Coroners Court says families of homicide victims are eligible for financial assistance towards funeral costs, and points them to Victim Assist Queensland for advice. For other states, NSW Victims Services keeps a page on victims support outside NSW.
Membership benefits
The NSW Government suggests checking whether the person was a returned service person or belonged to a club, pensioner association or trade union that may entitle them to a funeral benefit. It describes two kinds of scheme:
- Cash benefit schemes pay a set sum when a member dies, as a benefit of membership or after contributions to a fund. Some will not pay if the member’s payments were not kept up to date.
- Non-cash schemes carry out the funeral or cremation for the member without charge, and are usually run by the funeral industry itself.
South Australia’s Law Handbook (last revised 2020) adds that some associations or clubs may pay a small funeral benefit, and that it is worth asking the union the person belonged to.
Community funeral assistance
Moneysmart’s guide for First Nations families lists organisations that run funeral assistance programs, including land councils, Aboriginal corporations and community trusts in each state and territory. They differ depending on where the person lived, and some are open only to members.
In NSW, the same list includes Transport for NSW’s Aboriginal Funeral Transport ‘Sorry Business’ fund, which can help with transport to attend funerals within NSW. For veterans and former Defence Force members, Moneysmart suggests asking the Department of Veterans’ Affairs for an Indigenous Veterans’ Liaison Officer.
Paying over time
The NSW Government says most funeral directors require payment in full before the funeral. Other official pages describe some room:
- South Australia’s Law Handbook (last revised 2020) suggests contacting several funeral directors to see whether fees are negotiable or can be paid by instalment.
- The WA Government says you may be able to pay in instalments, but this must be arranged beforehand and is usually a more expensive option.
- Legal Aid NSW says a payment plan with the funeral director may be needed, and to read the contract’s terms carefully before signing.
If a relative or friend who depended on you has died, Moneysmart says you may be able to access your own super early to cover the cost of their funeral, and suggests talking to your super fund or a financial counsellor.
The bill itself can be brought down too: what a simple cremation is and reading a funeral price list show where the costs sit.
If none of this is enough
When there is no money in the estate and no one who can afford to pay, state governments have their own arrangements. When no one can pay sets out each one, and what to know before anything is signed.