Families who've lost loved ones during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic have been hit hard. For many, it's been an unimaginably painful
time both emotionally and financially. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is providing reimbursement of funeral, interment and
cremation expenses for COVID-19 related deaths.
FEMA began accepting applications for COVID-19 funeral assistance on Monday, April 12, 2021, through a dedicated call center.
time both emotionally and financially. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is providing reimbursement of funeral, interment and
cremation expenses for COVID-19 related deaths.
FEMA began accepting applications for COVID-19 funeral assistance on Monday, April 12, 2021, through a dedicated call center.
The FEMA funeral reimbursement program provides:
- Up to $9,000 for funeral costs related to a single loved one
- Up to $35,500 for funeral costs related to multiple COVID-19 deaths in a single state, territory or the District of Columbia
Fraud Alert: FEMA has received reports of scammers reaching out to people offering to register them for funeral assistance. FEMA has not sent any such notifications and will not contact you before you register for the program
FEMA Funeral Assistance is intended to help with expenses for funeral services, cremation services and burial.
Covered expenses include:
Covered expenses include:
- transportation for up to two people to identify the loved one
- transfer of the loved one
- a casket or urn
- a burial plot or cremation niche
- a marker or headstone
- clergy or officiant services
- funeral director services
- funeral staff services
- use of the funeral home
- cremation or interment costs
- costs associated with certifying multiple death certificates
- other expenses mandated by local or state government laws or ordinances
Contact your funeral director if you need an itemized list of funeral expenses.
To Apply:
- Call 844-684-6333 (or 800-462-7585 for TTY), from Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Central Time.
- Complete an application with the help of a FEMA representative, who will give you an application number you can track.
- Provide supporting documents:
- Upload to your DisasterAssistance.gov account
- Fax
Applications cannot be submitted online. Multilingual services are available. At this time, there is no deadline to apply.