COVID-19 Funeral Assistance

Who is Eligible?

What is Covered?

What is Required?

How Does it Work?

Funeral Assistance State-by-State Totals

Additional Resources

Graphic

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.

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

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

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

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.

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.

As of October 1, 2023, there were more than 483,823 applications totaling more than $3.1 billion for 494,505 decedents. Applications can include the funeral expenses for more than one decedent in a state.

State / Territory	Applications	Amount Approved	Number of Awards
Alabama	13,063	$72,608,214.28	10,743
Alaska	539	$2,008,909.38	416
American Samoa	33	$91,658.81	16
Arizona	10,377	$41,207,761.92	8,361
Arkansas	6,159	$31,710,634.42	5,100
California	48,342	$246,700,005.73	38,852
Colorado	5,715	$25,201,301.35	4,668
Connecticut	5,806	$33,514,130.02	4,899
Delaware	1,864	$9,775,248.17	1,531
District Of Columbia	868	$4,436,694.35	662
Florida	38,348	$175,040,002.35	31,505
Georgia	23,553	$131,747,862.34	19,275
Guam	35	$159,007.19	22
Hawaii	890	$3,966,175.00	682
Idaho	2,149	$9,898,016.03	1,808
Illinois	23,217	$132,578,768.53	19,298
Indiana	12,189	$70,292,449.81	10,222
Iowa	5,038	$30,144,117.78	4,249
Kansas	5,349	$29,318,190.58	4,513
Kentucky	11,360	$67,887,680.18	9,452
Louisiana	9,696	$53,263,767.04	7,748
Maine	1,417	$6,181,711.11	1,156
Marshall Islands	Less than 10	$7,148.71	Less than 10
Maryland	10,194	$56,777,410.28	8,462
Massachusetts	11,070	$63,409,019.16	9,284
Michigan	21,382	$111,106,011.04	18,038
Minnesota	6,542	$37,691,697.96	5,576
Mississippi	8,746	$47,638,367.92	7,037
Missouri	11,981	$63,005,108.57	10,151
Montana	1,493	$6,380,014.45	1,257
Nebraska	2,678	$15,507,877.60	2,260
Nevada	5,094	$21,300,726.03	4,068
New Hampshire	1,615	$7,923,108.87	1,330
New Jersey	19,018	$109,631,335.49	15,845
New Mexico	3,854	$16,188,133.89	3,063
New York	41,360	$233,425,778.96	33,952
North Carolina	19,799	$107,150,195.93	16,500
North Dakota	1,331	$8,392,743.47	1,133
Northern Mariana Islands	37	$110,411.99	21
Ohio	25,743	$141,881,064.24	21,933
Oklahoma	9,297	$48,351,725.94	7,768
Oregon	3,061	$10,780,194.42	2,455
Pennsylvania	28,210	$159,200,618.03	24,059
Puerto Rico	3,277	$10,254,840.39	2,565
Rhode Island	1,881	$10,852,378.09	1,589
South Carolina	13,204	$73,304,202.24	10,929
South Dakota	1,337	$7,958,397.95	1,122
Tennessee	16,746	$93,927,345.04	14,016
Texas	51,729	$274,738,086.00	42,538
US Virgin Islands	98	$492,904.82	77
Utah	2,710	$15,116,703.93	2,241
Vermont	392	$1,796,014.43	329
Virginia	14,011	$77,391,200.16	11,743
Washington	5,287	$22,110,254.64	4,214
West Virginia	4,837	$27,447,228.35	4,059
Wisconsin	9,694	$54,393,832.71	8,249
Wyoming	929	$4,250,422.65	780

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.

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.