Funeral expenses

The Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS) may provide up to $19,627 to cover funeral expenses for a primary victim.

For applicants who are not victims, applications must be made within 3 years of the death of a primary victim.

The FAS can consider an application outside these time limits. For more information, please see our guidelines for out of time applications.

Eligibility

Applicants must provide evidence to show that the funeral is for a person who passed away because of a violent act and that expenses for that funeral have already been paid or will be paid in the future.

If an applicant is also a primary, secondary or related victim, they can apply for funeral expenses at the same time as other types of assistance.

Funeral expenses are treated separately and do not count as a part of the maximum amount of financial assistance of $51,249 or $61,499 available to victims.

Examples of funeral expenses

Funeral expenses may include items such as:

• professional costs, including Funeral Director fees
• embalming
• transportation of deceased to/from cemetery/crematorium
• cemetery fees including plot and interment fees
• coffin/casket
• memorialisation costs including identification plaque
• ceremonial costs
• audio-visual/live streaming equipment
• miscellaneous costs including flowers, shroud, press notice, death certificate, clergy, or celebrant, or
• other expenses that the FAS considers reasonable to conduct a funeral.

Reasonable expenses do not include payment for alcohol for wakes or other memorials.

Overseas funerals

If the deceased primary victim is an overseas resident, the FAS can pay reasonable funeral costs for:

• funeral director service fees
• burial or cremation outside of Australia
• mortuary
• coffin
• metal liner
• consulate fees, and
• the reasonable cost of air freight and transfer fee to the country of residency.

See our legal guidelines for further details on funeral expenses.