Immediate Burial: What It Is and What It Costs

Immediate burial (sometimes called direct burial) is the simplest way to have a burial through a funeral home. The body goes from the place of death to the funeral home, then to the cemetery, without a viewing or a funeral with the body present. Family and friends can still gather at the grave.

The FTC says it usually costs less than a traditional funeral. It still comes with two bills: one from the funeral home, and one from the cemetery. This guide covers both, and what our own price data shows.

What counts as an immediate burial?

The FTC's Funeral Rule defines it as burial "without formal viewing, visitation, or ceremony with the body present, except for a graveside service." So a short service at the grave fits. A viewing the night before doesn't.

Because burial happens soon after death, embalming isn't needed. The Funeral Rule says a funeral home may not tell you embalming is required for an immediate burial. Its price list must also carry a printed note saying embalming is not required by law except in certain special cases, and that you usually have the right to choose an arrangement, such as immediate burial, that doesn't require you to pay for it.

Some states do limit how long a body can be kept without refrigeration or embalming. Florida, for example, says a body may not be held more than 24 hours after death unless it's refrigerated at 40°F or below, embalmed, or otherwise preserved. Check your state's funeral law page for the rule where you are.

What must the funeral home's price list show?

Every funeral home has a General Price List (GPL). You have the right to a copy to keep when you ask about arrangements in person, and to prices over the phone if you call.

For immediate burial, the rule asks for more than one number. The GPL must show:

• the range of immediate burial prices the home offers
• a separate price for when you provide the casket yourself
• a separate price for each immediate burial that includes a casket or alternative container from the home
• a description of the services and container included in each price

Each of those prices already includes the home's basic services fee, the one charge you can't decline. The rule requires a printed line on the GPL saying so.

What's usually in the price, according to the FTC: the basic services fee, transferring the body to the funeral home, and caring for it until burial. A casket or burial container is part of it when you buy one from the home. Read the description beside each price, since homes word these differently.

What does immediate burial cost?

We read the General Price Lists of 1,644 funeral homes in 48 states, checked between September 19 and October 23, 2026. Most lists show more than one immediate burial price, so we looked at three of them.

For the simplest price, a few homes charge less than $1,895, and a few more than $5,945. With the home's casket, a few charge less than $2,795, and a few more than $7,590.

The "family provides the casket" line covers the funeral home's work only. You'd add the cost of the casket you buy elsewhere. The "with the home's casket" line includes a casket, and which one varies by home, so ask what it is.

Prices change a lot by state. These are middle prices for the simplest immediate burial, for example:

To see homes near you, try our California burial cost page or search funeral homes by ZIP.

For comparison, the middle direct cremation price on the lists we checked was $2,695 (1,674 homes).

Can you add a graveside service?

Yes. A graveside service is the one gathering with the body present that still fits within immediate burial. The FTC notes the funeral home often charges an extra fee for it. On the lists we checked, the middle graveside service price was $595 (1,624 homes), and the middle half of homes charge $450 to $845.

You can also hold a memorial service later, without the body, anywhere you like. Our guide to planning a simple memorial service walks through it.

What does the cemetery charge?

None of the prices above include the cemetery. The FTC's Funeral Rule doesn't apply to cemeteries that lack an on-site funeral home, so a cemetery may not have to hand you a price list. Ask for its prices in writing. The FTC's pricing checklist lists these cemetery charges:

• the grave or crypt (the right to be buried in that space), unless the family already owns one
• opening and closing (digging the grave and filling it in afterward)
• a grave liner or vault, if the cemetery requires one
• perpetual care (long-term upkeep), if it isn't included in the grave price
• a marker or headstone, plus setting it

No state law requires a vault or liner, but many cemeteries require one so the ground doesn't sink. A grave liner meets that requirement and usually costs less than a vault. See are burial vaults required? and how much does a burial cost? for the full cemetery side.

How do you ask for it?

Call two or three funeral homes and ask for their immediate burial prices, including the price when you bring your own casket. You don't have to give your name. When you sit down to arrange it, the home must give you an itemized statement listing what you chose, the price of each item and the total. If it says the law or the cemetery requires something, it has to explain that in writing on the same statement.

Frequently asked questions

Is immediate burial the same as direct burial?

Yes. The FTC uses both terms for the same thing: burial soon after death, without a viewing or a funeral with the body present. The Funeral Rule and most price lists call it immediate burial.

Can family see the person before an immediate burial?

A formal viewing isn't part of immediate burial, since the rule defines it as burial without one. If the family would like a few minutes with the person first, ask the funeral home what it can offer and whether it changes the price.

Can I buy the casket somewhere else?

Yes. The funeral home must accept a casket you bought from another seller or online, and it can't charge a fee for handling it. That's why the price list must show a separate immediate burial price for when you provide the casket.

Does immediate burial include the grave?

No. The funeral home's price covers its own work and, on some lines, a casket. The grave, opening and closing, any liner and the marker come from the cemetery on a separate bill.

Sources

• eCFR: 16 CFR Part 453, Funeral Industry Practices
• FTC: The FTC Funeral Rule
• FTC: Types of Funerals
• FTC: Funeral Costs and Pricing Checklist
• FTC: Complying with the Funeral Rule
• Florida Statutes: Section 497.386
• HonestFarewell: checked General Price Lists

Related reading

• How much does a burial cost?
• Are burial vaults required?
• Casket prices: what funeral homes charge
• Cremation vs. burial