How much burial insurance should I get?

Add your expected funeral and cemetery costs, final bills, and a small cushion, then subtract existing insurance, savings, and benefits. The gap is your target — often within the typical $5,000–$25,000 range.

Is $10,000 enough for burial insurance?

For many families, yes — it covers a cremation with a service or a modest burial. A full traditional funeral with burial can run higher, so price your specific plans first.

Can you have too much burial insurance?

Yes. Final-expense coverage costs more per dollar than regular life insurance, so buying far beyond your final expenses is inefficient. Use term or whole life insurance for income replacement instead.

Costs & affordability

How Much Burial Insurance Do You Need?

By Karl-Gustav Kallasmaa

Published June 2026

A simple way to size a final-expense policy: add up the funeral, burial or cremation, and final bills you want covered, minus what you already have.

Part of How to pay for a funeral

Buying too little burial insurance leaves your family with a gap; buying too much means paying premiums for coverage you don’t need. Here’s how to land on the right number.

Start with your expected funeral cost

The core of the figure is the disposition you want. A funeral with burial runs higher than one with cremation, and a direct cremation is lower still. Estimate yours with the cost calculator, or read how much does a funeral cost for the ranges.

Add the other final expenses

A final-expense insurance policy can cover more than the funeral. Add anything you want handled:

Funeral, burial or cremation, and a headstone or urn
Cemetery plot and opening/closing fees, if applicable
Outstanding medical bills not otherwise covered
Small debts, and a cushion for probate or estate costs

Subtract what’s already covered

Reduce the total by money already earmarked: existing life insurance, a preneed plan, savings set aside, or VA burial benefits if eligible. What’s left is the gap a policy needs to fill.

A simple worksheet

Expected funeral + cemetery costs

final medical bills and small debts

a modest cushion − existing insurance, savings, and benefits = the burial insurance coverage you need

Most final-expense policies are sold in the $5,000–$25,000 range, which fits this math for many families. Run your number through the burial insurance calculator.

Don’t over-insure

Burial insurance has higher cost-per-dollar of coverage than traditional life insurance, because underwriting is light. If you need a large amount to replace income, that’s a job for regular life insurance, not a final-expense policy. For the bigger picture, read what is final expense insurance and how to pay for a funeral.