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

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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 Dec. 1, 2023, there were more than 486,959 applications totaling more than $3.1 billion for 497,696 decedents. Applications can include the funeral expenses for more than one decedent in a state.

State / Territory	Applications	Amount Approved	Number of Awards
Alabama	13,125	$73,000,490.33	10,801
Alaska	542	$2,011,809.38	417
American Samoa	33	$91,658.81	16
Arizona	10,422	$41,401,947.80	8,405
Arkansas	6,194	$31,884,740.24	5,130
California	48,549	$248,130,263.80	39,101
Colorado	5,752	$25,366,496.35	4,697
Connecticut	5,851	$33,695,294.04	4,928
Delaware	1,880	$9,881,158.85	1,545
District Of Columbia	876	$4,450,291.35	664
Florida	38,563	$176,157,275.00	31,704
Georgia	23,688	$132,625,691.82	19,405
Guam	36	$159,007.19	22
Hawaii	902	$3,986,516.19	687
Idaho	2,166	$9,984,910.01	1,826
Illinois	23,352	$133,529,280.57	19,430
Indiana	12,256	$70,725,292.67	10,286
Iowa	5,060	$30,322,775.86	4,271
Kansas	5,376	$29,492,811.36	4,537
Kentucky	11,450	$68,456,678.19	9,530
Louisiana	9,740	$53,493,296.77	7,784
Maine	1,434	$6,260,029.77	1,168
Marshall Islands	Less than 10	$7,148.71	Less than 10
Maryland	10,256	$57,132,527.41	8,516
Massachusetts	11,153	$64,089,544.03	9,379
Michigan	21,533	$111,862,398.74	18,157
Minnesota	6,572	$37,868,680.51	5,603
Mississippi	8,796	$47,983,478.25	7,086
Missouri	12,060	$63,528,765.21	10,234
Montana	1,504	$6,404,437.72	1,265
Nebraska	2,692	$15,595,733.88	2,275
Nevada	5,119	$21,422,288.71	4,097
New Hampshire	1,633	$7,969,559.67	1,338
New Jersey	19,118	$110,445,419.60	15,965
New Mexico	3,871	$16,311,941.44	3,087
New York	41,592	$234,986,466.42	34,178
North Carolina	19,941	$107,815,761.34	16,610
North Dakota	1,343	$8,463,022.64	1,141
Northern Mariana Islands	37	$119,411.99	22
Ohio	25,911	$142,920,403.76	22,088
Oklahoma	9,342	$48,556,462.11	7,801
Oregon	3,079	$10,893,623.21	2,484
Pennsylvania	28,421	$160,189,424.41	24,204
Puerto Rico	3,309	$10,417,018.50	2,599
Rhode Island	1,890	$10,887,118.84	1,594
South Carolina	13,294	$73,813,915.61	11,009
South Dakota	1,345	$8,030,003.99	1,133
Tennessee	16,853	$94,517,587.70	14,116
Texas	51,925	$275,910,366.32	42,730
US Virgin Islands	101	$499,934.82	78
Utah	2,727	$15,189,583.33	2,255
Vermont	402	$1,834,027.69	335
Virginia	14,115	$77,833,540.80	11,811
Washington	5,332	$22,300,138.34	4,248
West Virginia	4,881	$27,619,100.92	4,085
Wisconsin	9,743	$54,666,492.50	8,296
Wyoming	931	$4,265,532.90	784

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.