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Final expense calculator

This calculator estimates how much final expense coverage your family may need. It starts from published funeral costs, adds the other end-of-life bills you choose, and subtracts any coverage or savings already set aside for this purpose. It takes about a minute, the arithmetic is shown in full, and nothing you enter here is sent anywhere — the calculation happens in your browser. When you want exact premium figures for the coverage amount it recommends, that comes from a short conversation with a licensed agent, because real prices depend on your age, health, and the carrier.

1. What kind of funeral do you picture?

Funeral preference Burial — funeral with viewing and burial ($8,300) Cremation — funeral with viewing and cremation ($6,280) Minimal — direct cremation or simple arrangement ($2,500 planning estimate)

The burial and cremation figures are the national medians from the National Funeral Directors Association's 2023 General Price List Study. The minimal figure is a conservative planning estimate for direct cremation without a service.

2. Other final bills

Cemetery charges, final medical bills, travel for family, and other last expenses $0 — none expected $1,000 $2,500 $5,000 $7,500

For a burial, remember the NFDA medians do not include the cemetery plot, grave opening and closing, or a headstone — those alone commonly run into the thousands.

3. Something extra for your family?

An amount beyond the bills — a cushion for your spouse or a gift for children or grandchildren $0 $2,500 $5,000 $10,000 $20,000

4. Coverage you already have

Existing life insurance or savings set aside for final expenses $0 $5,000 $10,000 $15,000 $25,000 $50,000

Calculate my estimated need

How this calculator works

The formula is deliberately simple: funeral cost + other final bills + extra for family − coverage already in place = estimated need. The need is then rounded up to the next common policy size — $5,000, $10,000, $15,000, $20,000, $25,000, or $30,000 — because final expense policies are sold in round amounts and rounding up protects against the costs that always surprise families. If your existing coverage already covers the whole estimate, the calculator says so plainly.

What it cannot know

Funeral prices vary by city and funeral home, sometimes by thousands of dollars for the same service. If you already know the funeral home your family would use, its price list beats any national median — use your own figure for step 1 by adjusting the other-bills amount to match. The calculator also cannot price insurance: your actual premium depends on your age, health, and the carrier. Two people buying the same $15,000 policy can pay noticeably different monthly prices, which is exactly why we never show invented premium numbers on this site. For more on sizing coverage for income protection as well, read how much life insurance do I need?, and see our final expense guide and burial insurance guide for how the policies themselves work.

Funeral cost source: National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA), 2023 General Price List Study. Figures are national medians; your area will differ.