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 November 1, 2023, there were more than 485,389 applications totaling more than $3.1 billion for 496,100 decedents. Applications can include the funeral expenses for more than one decedent in a state.

State / Territory	Applications	Amount Approved	Number of Awards
Alabama	13,094	$72,798,023.67	10,771
Alaska	541	$2,011,809.38	417
American Samoa	33	$91,658.81	16
Arizona	10,402	$41,304,033.24	8,382
Arkansas	6,176	$31,800,965.83	5,117
California	48,470	$247,391,122.14	38,967
Colorado	5,732	$25,246,112.28	4,676
Connecticut	5,828	$33,596,334.02	4,914
Delaware	1,871	$9,849,246.87	1,540
District Of Columbia	874	$4,436,694.35	662
Florida	38,467	$175,582,838.75	31,606
Georgia	23,636	$132,156,288.84	19,338
Guam	35	$159,007.19	22
Hawaii	895	$3,976,426.31	684
Idaho	2,158	$9,926,794.58	1,812
Illinois	23,289	$133,089,373.00	19,365
Indiana	12,223	$70,557,141.67	10,261
Iowa	5,048	$30,229,166.36	4,260
Kansas	5,361	$29,406,717.22	4,526
Kentucky	11,414	$68,182,466.63	9,493
Louisiana	9,717	$53,371,492.57	7,765
Maine	1,423	$6,235,951.49	1,164
Marshall Islands	Less than 10	$7,148.71	Less than 10
Maryland	10,227	$56,991,165.02	8,494
Massachusetts	11,116	$63,746,492.41	9,331
Michigan	21,458	$111,460,540.94	18,096
Minnesota	6,558	$37,764,129.88	5,588
Mississippi	8,771	$47,796,561.12	7,061
Missouri	12,018	$63,269,596.75	10,193
Montana	1,500	$6,387,855.45	1,261
Nebraska	2,688	$15,526,299.18	2,265
Nevada	5,106	$21,364,010.99	4,084
New Hampshire	1,624	$7,956,222.97	1,334
New Jersey	19,067	$110,064,010.63	15,911
New Mexico	3,864	$16,238,587.45	3,073
New York	41,482	$234,239,672.68	34,065
North Carolina	19,885	$107,438,161.79	16,548
North Dakota	1,338	$8,446,743.47	1,139
Northern Mariana Islands	37	$119,411.99	22
Ohio	25,830	$142,487,380.60	22,027
Oklahoma	9,322	$48,475,790.92	7,787
Oregon	3,069	$10,839,773.86	2,469
Pennsylvania	28,310	$159,644,689.85	24,122
Puerto Rico	3,297	$10,322,269.18	2,579
Rhode Island	1,888	$10,862,115.49	1,591
South Carolina	13,256	$73,525,866.86	10,969
South Dakota	1,342	$7,975,539.21	1,125
Tennessee	16,808	$94,258,507.26	14,074
Texas	51,831	$275,299,430.65	42,632
US Virgin Islands	99	$492,904.82	77
Utah	2,718	$15,150,730.68	2,246
Vermont	397	$1,823,720.39	334
Virginia	14,066	$77,603,954.27	11,778
Washington	5,309	$22,203,223.56	4,228
West Virginia	4,861	$27,508,299.15	4,070
Wisconsin	9,720	$54,550,561.45	8,275
Wyoming	931	$4,252,582.65	781

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.