How Much Does It Cost to Hold a Funeral Service in Singapore?

Most of us strive constantly for happiness. Whether it’s keeping up with the latest fashion trends, upgrading to the newest iPhone, or dreaming of an early retirement in a beautiful, fully paid-for home, we often view retirement as our ultimate goal.

But have we ever paused to consider what comes after retirement?

While financial planning is crucial throughout our lives, it’s also essential to consider the costs associated with the end of life (though we hope to avoid this topic).

Beyond financial considerations, honouring the person who has passed is also an important part of this journey, ensuring their legacy is remembered and cherished.

So, how much does it cost to hold a funeral in Singapore? Let’s check out below.

TL;DR: How Much Does a Funeral Service Cost in Singapore?

The cost of holding a funeral ranges from $4,000 to $11,000, and the whole process has to be conducted within a few hours after death.

Having a Funeral Director who can assist you along the way while planning for a precious loved one’s final journey may be smoother.

Here’s a complete guide to:

• Preparation for the untimely demise
• What to do when someone passes away?
• Checklist of the decisions to make for the wake and funeral
• How much does a funeral service cost in Singapore?
• Rates for placing an obituary in Singapore
• Contacts of funeral directors in Singapore

 Preparation Before the Loss

While death is a taboo subject for many, we are starting to realise that planning funeral services beforehand can help ease the load on your family members.

Being open and transparent with your family members can bring about some benefits:

• Less emotional stress for your loved ones since everything is planned
• Reduces unnecessary disputes and arguments amongst your family pertaining to decisions for the funeral
• Allows one to plan financially for one’s own funeral effectively, in the way the person wants.

Here are 5 key steps to take before death:

1. Deciding on a Funeral Director
2. Deciding on the details of the wake
3. Making a will
4. Making CPF nomination
5. A discussion with your direct family members

Choosing the Right Funeral Director

A Funeral Director is a professional who helps to make funeral arrangements. If arrangements have been made, this person will be the go-to person upon your loved one’s passing.

The role of the funeral director typically includes meeting with families to discuss and arrange the details of the funeral or memorial service, including choosing a casket or urn, selecting a venue, scheduling dates and times, coordinating with clergy, musicians, florists, and other service providers to ensure all aspects of the funeral are handled according to the family’s wishes.

Before deciding on a person or company, many factors must be considered: Cost, type of wake and funeral rite, reputation, and level of services provided.

The cost of engaging a funeral director can range from $4,000 to $8,000 or more.

Read on to find out the summary of total costs!

Deciding on the Details of the Wake

Once you have decided on the funeral director, sharing the essential information to facilitate the funeral planning process is a good idea.

Some useful information will be the budget you are looking at, religion, favourite flowers, casket, and other possible information. Tying down these details before death can help ease the stress on your family. Family members usually have a short period of time to plan and prepare for the funeral while dealing with the loss of their loved one.

Details such as the wake’s venue, the funeral’s photo-taking, preferred funeral home, and the clothes to wear should also be settled.

Making a Will

A will is an official arrangement for someone to receive part or all of your money and property after your passing.

For a will to be valid, here are some pointers to note:

• The will must be written
• The person who wrote the will must be at least 21 years old
• The person who wrote the will must sign at the bottom of the will
• Two (2) or more people must witness the person signing the will and must also sign to indicate that they have witnessed it
• The witnesses cannot be beneficiaries of the will or spouses of the beneficiaries.

Writing a valid will can be quite complicated, so we should consider hiring a professional like a lawyer to do it.

If you opt for a lawyer to draft your will, the cost will range from $200 to $500, depending on its complexity.

Making a CPF Nomination

A CPF nomination allows us to specify who will benefit from their CPF savings and the amount our beneficiaries receive upon our demise. As CPF savings are not covered under our will, it is important to make a CPF nomination.

If no CPF nomination is made, the CPF savings will be transferred to the Public Trustee’s Office and distributed according to the rules in the Intestate Succession Act. And that is super mafan (troublesome)!

Have a Discussion With Your Direct Family Members

Once all the above are in place, we should have an open discussion with our family members on our liabilities and assets.

Here is some helpful information to tie down:

• Make known to them where they can find the necessary documentation to locate your assets upon your passing
  Imagine having a will so well hidden that no one can ever find it – that totally defeats the purpose of having a will! 
• Decide who in the family will be in charge of ensuring that all your wishes are carried out accordingly – this includes your funeral home
• Some may even go to the extent of having a contact list of who to be informed of your passing should it happen

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Step-by-Step Guide: What To Do When Someone Passes Away

Depending on the death’s location, whether in the hospital, at home, or overseas, each has its set of necessary steps to take.

What to Do When the Death Occurs in the Hospital/ Home

• Obtain a Certificate of Cause of Death (CCOD) in the hospital
  If the doctor at the hospital can certify the cause of death and the cause is natural, the doctor will fill up the Certificate of Cause of Death (CCOD) OR
• Obtain a Certificate of Cause of Death (CCOD) at home
  Contact the doctor or any neighbourhood doctor who is willing to take a house call to certify the death.

The rest of the steps are similar

• If the cause of death is unknown
  If the doctor is unable to certify the cause of death, call the police to have the body sent to Mortuary@HSA (Singapore General Hospital, Block 9)
• Step 2: Contact a funeral director
  If one has already been assigned, simply contact the relevant funeral director. If not, the family will need to engage one.
  The funeral director will collect the body, send the body for embalming and deliver it to the location of the wake.
• Step 3: Register the death
  The family can register the death at any Police station or the Registry of Births and Deaths.

A CCOD costs between $250 and $300, but extra costs may be involved.

Additional information:

Mortuary@HSA operating hours:
Monday to Friday: 8:00am – 4:30pm
Saturday, Sunday, and Public Holidays: 8:00am – 12:30pm

Things to bring to Mortuary@HSA:

• All medical documents related to the deceased
• All medicine consumed by the deceased
• NRIC or Passport or Birth Certificate or FIN card of deceased.

Registry of Births and Deaths:
3rd floor, ICA Building
10 Kallang Road S(208718)
Tel: 6391 6100
Working hours: 8:00am – 5:00pm (Monday – Friday), 8:00am – 1:00pm (Saturday)

Things to bring to the Registry of Births and Death or Police Station:

• Certificate of Cause of Death (CCOD)
• NRIC or Passport or Birth Certificate or FIN card of deceased.

What to Do When Death Occurs Overseas

• Step 1: Register with the foreign authorities
• Step 2: Application for a coffin (import) permit. A funeral director will know the steps to this.
• Registering the death will be the same as the above.

However, the cost of repatriating a deceased person’s body back to Singapore will vary. On average, repatriation costs can range from $5,000 to $15,000 or more.

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Checklist of the Decisions To Make For the Wake and Funeral

We found a really comprehensive one on Nirvana Columbarium:

General Preparations

• Prepare a contact list including names and phone numbers of persons you wish to have notified of your death or a medical emergency
• Decide on the person who will be responsible for ensuring that your wishes are carried out
• Assemble information for the obituary, including biographical details and where the obituary should appear
• Select a funeral home—usually through the funeral director.

Funeral Home Services

A funeral home is a facility that provides a range of services related to the preparation and conduct of funeral and memorial services.

• State, in writing, the type of disposition you would like, i.e. burial or cremation
• Range of services: Embalming, dressing, and cosmetically preparing the body, providing spaces for viewings, services, and gatherings, handling transportation of the deceased, obtaining necessary permits, and managing burial or cremation processes.

For Burial

• Select the burial plot location
• Select burial vault
• Choose the preferred casket type, i.e., wood, metal, or composite materials
• Choose the preferred burial garments.

For Cremation

• Choose preferred cremation casket/container type, i.e. made of wood, metal, or composite materials
• Select the cremation urn type
• Decide what to do with the ashes
• Select the cremation plot location
• Choose the type of service, i.e. religious, celebration of life, or memorial service
• Choose family viewing or visitation
• Choose a floral arrangement, i.e., type or colour
• Select a photograph to be displayed
• Select music and hymns
• Select pallbearers
• Make arrangements for transportation.

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Funeral Package Cost in Singapore

As various religions go through different types of rituals and require different types of religious services, it is important to compare them separately for better comparison.

Do note that most prices do not include GST except Casket Fairprice and Memorial Funeral, which indicates their nett prices.

How Much Does a Buddhist Funeral Cost in Singapore?

How Much Does a Taoist Funeral Cost in Singapore?

Singapore has multiple Chinese dialects, primarily Hokkien, Cantonese, Teochew, Hainan, and Hakka.

Depending on which dialect the deceased belongs to, there will be different rituals:

How Much Does a Christian Funeral Cost in Singapore?

How Much Does a Roman Catholic Funeral Cost in Singapore?

How Much Does a Soka Funeral Cost in Singapore?

How Much Does a Non-religious Funeral Cost in Singapore?

How Much Does a Direct Cremation Cost in Singapore?

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Rates for Placing an Obituary in Singapore

Placing an obituary in a local publication is a traditional way to inform the public of someone’s passing. This is done in the hope of attracting the attention of someone who might have lost contact with the deceased.

If print seems outdated, you can also opt for social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

With effect from 1 August 2018, local media house Singapore Press Holdings has introduced a bundled digital obituary, which is compulsory with any death announcement advertisement in the Straits Times.

Here are the rates for placing an obituary:

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Compilation of Contacts of Funeral Directors in Singapore

Here’s the list of Funeral Directors in Singapore and their contacts for your convenience:

Source: National Environment Agency

If you have the time, it would be great to read up on reviews before deciding on one.

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