Before anything is signed
The person who organises a funeral is legally responsible for paying for it, Legal Aid NSW explains, and you should not make funeral arrangements if you can’t afford to pay or there is not enough money in the estate.
In Queensland, an individual application for funeral assistance is automatically declined if a contract for funeral services has already been signed with a funeral company, and the Coroners Court asks applicants not to make arrangements with its contracted funeral director until they have the written outcome.
Where each state starts
| Where | What it is | Run by |
|---|---|---|
| NSW | A destitute funeral, paid for by the government. | The local Public Health Unit or a hospital social worker arranges it; the Area Health Service pays. |
| Victoria | The state’s families department points people in financial hardship to a not-for-profit funeral director that provides low-cost funerals. | Department of Families, Fairness and Housing page. |
| Queensland | The Funeral Assistance Scheme, under the Burials Assistance Act 1965. | The Coroners Court of Queensland, for the Department of Justice. |
| Western Australia | The Bereavement Assistance Program. | The Department of Communities. |
| South Australia | Funeral AssistanceSA, for South Australians on pensions, benefits or low incomes (Moneysmart’s description). | The SA Government; the Law Handbook (last revised 2020) names the Department of Human Services. |
| Tasmania | A cremation at public cost, with no service, for a family that cannot pay for a burial or cremation (Moneysmart’s description). | The Magistrates Court of Tasmania. |
| ACT | The ACT Funeral Assistance Program. | The ACT Revenue Office, through funeral providers listed on its page. |
| Northern Territory | Moneysmart lists funeral assistance from the Central and Northern Land Councils for Aboriginal people in their regions. | The land councils. |
A destitute funeral
Legal Aid NSW explains that when there is no money in the estate and no relative or friend who can afford to pay, the person may have a ‘destitute funeral’, which the government may pay for. Who starts it depends on where the person died:
- In a public health facility, such as a hospital or nursing home. A social worker will usually approach relatives to see whether they can arrange the funeral, and may ask the police to help find them. If no relative is willing to pay, the social worker will usually arrange it.
- Outside hospital. The person’s treating doctor and the police should be told. The police can decide whether the person is destitute and notify the Public Health Unit, and an officer from that unit arranges the funeral.
- When the coroner is involved. The coroner asks the police to help decide whether the person is destitute, then notifies the Public Health Unit, which arranges the funeral.
The Area Health Service pays, and it is a basic funeral service. The Area Health Service contacts the next of kin about the arrangements so that relatives and friends can attend.
The Funeral Assistance Scheme
The Coroners Court of Queensland can arrange a funeral for a person who died in Queensland and has no known next of kin willing or able to meet the cost. Under the Act, next of kin means only a spouse, or a parent of a child under 18.
What it includes
- local collection and transport for preparation and the service;
- a coffin, and a white calico shroud where clothing is not provided;
- a service where family and friends can make a small speech, at the crematorium or at the graveside;
- registration of the death (the death certificate itself is not provided).
Its limits
- You cannot choose the location of the funeral or the funeral director.
- The person will be cremated unless burial is requested on the application.
- The applicant collects the ashes; unclaimed ashes are stored for at most 12 months.
- Up to four people may be buried in one plot, so a headstone or other memorial is not allowed. A family can later apply to repay the cost and have the burial rights transferred to them.
Applying, and paying back
An individual application is automatically declined if, among other things, the person had a super account, life insurance, a funeral plan or funeral insurance, or enough money or assets in their estate, or if the applicant has withdrawn money from the person’s bank account since the death. Applications are lodged at the Magistrates Court nearest to where the person died, and the Court says a decision can take up to 60 working days.
The state can recover the full cost of the funeral from the estate, or from a spouse or parent who applied.
The Bereavement Assistance Program
The program helps when there is not enough money in the person’s estate and their family cannot meet the cost. The partner and adult children are income and assets tested. Families with a full-time income will generally be refused, families eligible for a Centrelink bereavement package will usually be asked to contribute about half, and every approved family is expected to contribute something, even a small amount.
A funeral director contracted to the Department provides a basic funeral, including a hearse, a coffin, a minister and pall bearers. The Department will not cremate unless the person’s will asks for it or for cultural or religious reasons, so that there is a burial site if family members not yet known make enquiries later. Applications are made at a local Department of Communities office, with an interview.
The other programs
The ACT program is for ACT residents in financial hardship who cannot meet the full cost of a funeral for an immediate family member. It provides a simple funeral, the family can contribute up to $500 (as at October 2026), and transport may be considered where an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person is culturally required to return to their homelands for burial. Eligibility is worked out through an application with a financial assessment.
In South Australia, the Law Handbook says that if a person has no next of kin, or their next of kin receive certain social security payments, the Department of Human Services may arrange and pay for a cremation; that page was last revised in 2020. Moneysmart lists the Magistrates Court of Tasmania as the body that provides a cremation at public cost, with no service, where a family cannot pay.
Where some money can be found, help with the cost of a funeral sets out where it can come from, including the DVA funeral benefit, membership schemes and paying over time.