COVID-19 Funeral Assistance

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The COVID-19 incident period ended on May 11, 2023. FEMA will continue to provide funeral assistance until Sept. 30, 2025, to those who have lost loved ones due to this pandemic.

Who is Eligible?

What is Covered?

What is Required?

How Does it Work?

Funeral Assistance State-by-State Totals

Additional Resources

Graphic
This graphic shows various financial milestones for the COVID-19 Funeral Assistance program.
FEMA has given $2.8 billion to eligible applicants for COVID-19 Funeral Assistance.
alert - warning

The COVID-19 incident period will come to an end on May 11, 2023. FEMA will continue to provide funeral assistance until Sept. 30, 2025, to those who have lost loved ones due to this pandemic.

If you are covering the cost of a COVID-19 funeral, FEMA may be able to help.

You may qualify for up to $9,000 per funeral for expenses.

3 women and 4 men in front a blue jean jacket

Have Questions?

Call 844-684-6333
Monday-Friday
9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern Time

Multilingual services are available.

If you use a relay service, please provide FEMA with the specific number assigned to you for the service so we can follow up with you about your application.

Who is Eligible?

FEMA may provide COVID-19 Funeral Assistance to you if:

  • you are a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national, or qualified non-citizen.
  • the death occurred in the United States, including U.S. territories and the District of Columbia;
  • the death was attributed to COVID-19; and
  • you are responsible for the eligible funeral expenses incurred on or after January 20, 2020

What is Covered?

FEMA may approve COVID-19 Funeral Assistance for expenses such as:

  • funeral services
  • cremation
  • interment
  • costs associated with producing death certificates
  • costs due to local or state government laws or ordinances
  • transportation for up to two people to identify the person who died
  • transfer of remains
  • casket or urn
  • burial plot
  • marker or headstone
  • clergy
  • funeral ceremony
  • funeral home equipment or staff

To learn more and start an application, call 844-684-6333.

What is Required?

You must provide FEMA a copy of an official death certificate that shows the death occurred in the United States, including U.S. territories and the District of Columbia, occurred after January 20, 2020, and was attributed to COVID-19.

If the death certificate was issued between January 20 and May 16, 2020, it must either 1) attribute the death directly or indirectly to COVID-19 or 2) be accompanied by a signed statement from the original certifier of the death certificate, or the local medical examiner or coroner from the jurisdiction in which the death occurred, listing COVID-19 as a cause or contributing cause of death. This signed statement must provide an additional explanation or causal pathway, linking the cause of death listed on the death certificate to COVID-19.

You must provide FEMA with a signed funeral home contract, invoice, receipts, or other documentation that includes:

  • your name, showing you are responsible for some or all of the expense
  • the name of the person who died
  • itemized expenses
  • proof that the expenses were incurred on or after January 20, 2020

To learn more or start an application, call 844-684-6333.

How Does it Work?

  1. To apply, call 844-684-6333 toll-free between 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday-Friday. FEMA representatives will take your application, and multilingual services are available. COVID-19 Funeral Assistance applications must be completed with a FEMA representative; you cannot apply online. It will take about 20 minutes to apply, and you must provide:
    • Your Social Security number and date of birth
    • The Social Security number and date of birth of the person who died
    • Your current mailing address and telephone number
    • The address where the individual died
    • If the person who died had burial or funeral insurance policies
    • If you received other funeral assistance (such as donations, CARES Act grants, state/territory assistance, or assistance from voluntary organizations)
    • If you want eligible funds delivered by direct deposit, the routing and account number of your checking or savings account.
  2. After you apply, FEMA will provide you an application number, and you may create an account on DisasterAssistance.gov.
  3. You must submit supporting documents (e.g., funeral home contracts, receipts, invoices, death certificate) by:
    • Upload to your DisasterAssistance.gov account
    • Fax to 855-261-3452
    • Mail to: P.O. Box 10001, Hyattsville, MD 20782.
  4. Once FEMA receives all required documents, it takes approximately 45 days to make an eligibility decision.
  5. If FEMA approves your application for COVID-19 Funeral Assistance, funds will be deposited to your bank account or sent by mail in the form of a Department of the Treasury check, depending on which option you choose during your application. Funds usually arrive within a few days of approval, and you will receive a notification letter.

Funeral Assistance State-by-State Totals

As of May 1, 2023, there were more than 467,630 applications totaling more than $3.0 billion for 478,071 decedents. Applications can include the funeral expenses for more than one decedent in a state.

State / TerritoryApplicationsAmount ApprovedNumber of Awards
Alabama12,876$70,384,951.5410,396
Alaska535$1,959,402.19406
American Samoa33$85,658.8115
Arizona10,213$40,233,581.628,156
Arkansas6,069$30,803,942.414,953
California47,662$240,264,137.6737,793
Colorado5,605$24,526,309.714,544
Connecticut5,717$32,224,729.394,712
Delaware1,824$9,415,783.901,475
District Of Columbia859$4,299,715.43644
Florida37,762$170,551,949.6430,623
Georgia23,152$127,829,288.4318,680
Guam34$159,007.1922
Hawaii862$3,857,329.34663
Idaho2,119$9,670,682.641,762
Illinois22,833$127,814,719.6018,598
Indiana12,019$67,846,997.859,850
Iowa4,972$29,388,960.974,140
Kansas5,270$28,561,243.204,400
Kentucky11,124$65,241,933.719,071
Louisiana9,561$51,848,098.177,540
Maine1,374$5,767,751.071,071
Marshall IslandsLess than 10$7,148.71Less than 10
Maryland10,021$54,619,081.208,138
Massachusetts10,870$60,612,005.728,890
Michigan21,023$106,281,798.3317,250
Minnesota6,407$36,033,071.485,313
Mississippi8,590$46,086,194.316,816
Missouri11,796$61,411,517.929,877
Montana1,475$6,200,244.531,226
Nebraska2,637$15,120,614.032,195
Nevada5,009$20,855,075.693,971
New Hampshire1,585$7,633,208.961,279
New Jersey18,697$105,458,097.3615,250
New Mexico3,774$15,504,589.432,938
New York40,726$224,919,296.6232,745
North Carolina19,512$103,678,420.0215,953
North Dakota1,308$8,219,160.641,107
Northern Mariana Islands37$101,411.9920
Ohio25,290$136,372,172.8321,060
Oklahoma9,167$46,710,273.017,491
Oregon2,991$10,426,236.782,362
Pennsylvania27,777$152,782,932.3123,100
Puerto Rico3,149$9,440,875.512,376
Rhode Island1,851$10,567,729.031,548
South Carolina12,950$70,967,292.1110,567
South Dakota1,315$7,733,532.081,087
Tennessee16,469$91,558,378.8013,643
Texas51,100$267,965,827.9441,445
US Virgin Islands90$450,351.8270
Utah2,669$14,833,139.552,194
Vermont379$1,658,358.89303
Virginia13,768$74,193,460.3911,245
Washington5,188$21,459,264.584,073
West Virginia4,763$26,183,915.083,849
Wisconsin9,553$52,607,644.757,970
Wyoming914$4,149,830.67763

Questions?

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You can get answers to many additional questions on the Funeral Assistance FAQ pages.

Call 844-684-6333
Monday-Friday
9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern Time
Multilingual services available
If you use a relay service, please provide FEMA with the specific number assigned to you for the service so we can follow up with you about your application.

Additional Resources

The resources below are for community-based organizations to share information about COVID-19 Funeral Assistance with their community members. These files may be downloaded and shared on public-facing communications channels.

Last updated May 15, 2023