There is no fixed amount of time between a death and a funeral. In the UK, many funerals take place within a few weeks, but the actual timing depends on the circumstances of the death, the type of funeral being arranged and the availability of the people and services involved.
What Can Affect the Funeral Date?
Several things can make the process quicker or slower, including:
- Whether the death needs to be referred to a coroner
- Availability at the chosen crematorium or cemetery
- The funeral director’s availability
- Religious or cultural requirements
- Family members travelling from elsewhere
- The type of service being planned
If a coroner needs to investigate the death, this can affect when the funeral can go ahead. However, a funeral does not always have to wait until the inquest has been completed. You can find further information about arranging a funeral, including burial, cremation and the role of a funeral director, on GOV.UK.
Starting the Arrangements
One of the first things to check is whether the person left any funeral wishes. These might be written in their will, included with other important paperwork, or simply have been discussed with family. You can then speak to a funeral director about practical arrangements such as burial or cremation, transport, flowers, music and the service itself, and our Questions to Ask the Funeral Director article can help you prepare for that conversation.
There is often quite a lot to decide, but it doesn’t all have to be done at once. A funeral director will normally guide the family through the different stages and explain which decisions need to be made first. Our article How to Distribute The Funeral Planning also explains how different funeral tasks can be shared between family and friends.
If you are hoping to hold the funeral on a particular date, it is worth mentioning this as early as possible. For most families, the focus should be on allowing enough time to make the arrangements. They want rather than feeling that the funeral has to take place within a particular number of days.
The GOV.UK guidance on deaths reported to a coroner explains when a body can be released. For a funeral during the coroner’s process.
Read more information on delaying a funeral, what happens if someone dies at home and arranging funeral food.
Contact Funeral Map for help with funeral plans.
