What burial insurance costs in Georgia

For many people in their 60s and early 70s, $10,000 of coverage comes to less than $2 a day.

What moves the price

• Age. The younger you are when you apply, the lower the rate — and on the whole life policies we offer, that rate stays the same for life.
• Tobacco. Tobacco users typically pay noticeably more.
• Health tier. Level-benefit policies cost the least. Graded-benefit and guaranteed-acceptance policies cost more per dollar, and both include a waiting period — usually two to three years — before the full benefit is payable.
• Amount. $5,000 costs roughly half of what $10,000 does. Most families choose between $5,000 and $25,000.

What a funeral costs in Georgia

Prices vary by provider and by what you choose. Typical Georgia ranges:

• A funeral with burial: commonly $8,000–$12,000, including the cemetery plot, vault and headstone.
• A cremation with a service: $6,000 and up.
• A direct cremation (no service): often a few thousand dollars or less, depending on the provider.

For a national reference point, the National Funeral Directors Association's most recent survey put the median funeral with viewing and burial at $8,300 before cemetery costs, and with viewing and cremation at $6,280 (NFDA statistics).

Every funeral home must give you an itemized price list on request under the FTC's Funeral Rule. It's worth asking for one before you choose an amount.

What Social Security pays

Social Security's one-time death benefit is $255, and it's paid only to a surviving spouse or an eligible child. It doesn't go to the funeral home, and it doesn't come close to covering one. More on the $255 answer →

How to pick an amount

Start with what you'd want — burial or cremation, a service or not — and add a cushion for final bills. Many people choose $10,000 to $15,000. Your agent can walk through it with you and will tell you if you need less.