If you are the nearest relative or responsible person for someone who has died, in certain cases the Scottish Government can provide a ‘Funeral Support Payment’. Only one person can receive Funeral Support Payment for a funeral. They must also be in receipt of a qualifying benefit. The payment may not cover the full cost of the funeral. It can be paid directly to a Funeral Director who can help you to make a claim.
Find out more about the Funeral Support Payment and make an application.
Help with the cost of a funeral for a baby or child
We do not charge any fee towards the cost of a funeral for a baby or child under 18, or for any child for whom we have corporate parenting responsibilities. It may be that we will not charge fees for a funeral of a person in full time education.
Contact Bereavement Services for more detailed advice if you are responsible for arranging the funeral of a young person in Edinburgh.
Benevolent funds
‘Benevolent funds’ are charitable funds, trusts and societies established by trades, professions, religious institutes, armed/civilian services, charities or members of local communities. They may be able to help towards the cost of arranging a funeral.
- SSAFA (Armed Forces Charity)
- Citizens Advice Scotland Call 0800 028 1456
- Caledonia Cremation - Direct Cremations
- Good Grief Trust
Section 87 funeral explained
The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service will notify us if no relatives have been traced for a deceased person and ask us to provide a ‘Section 87’ funeral, using powers in Section 87 of the Burial and Cremation (Scotland) Act 2016.
This service is only provided if no one else is arranging a funeral, and the person has died within Edinburgh. Or we have responsibility for the deceased or is the Corporate Parent of the deceased person.
The arrangements will only be for the provision of a simple but dignified funeral. We will make the funeral arrangements using the our contracted Funeral Director and will seek to recover all funeral costs from the deceased person’s estate. Funeral costs are usually paid before any other debt can be settled.
View redacted information on details of funerals the Council has carried out under Section 87.
We do not hold and cannot provide any information on the value of the estate of any deceased person.
We do not trace relatives of the deceased and do not work with any genealogists.