The funeral director's invoice usually arrives before any of the estate is released. These are the places the money can come from, in the order to try them.
You do not need probate to pay the funeral. Every Irish bank will pay the funeral director's invoice directly from the deceased's sole account on sight of the invoice and the death certificate, as long as the money is there. Send the bank the invoice and ask them to pay the funeral director; the bank pays the funeral director, not you. A joint account carries on in the survivor's name and can be used as normal.
LegacySteps does this for families: with the family's agreement, it sends the request, the invoice and the certificate to each bank and credit union that held an account, and follows up weekly until it is dealt with. AIB, Bank of Ireland, PTSB, An Post Money.
Most credit unions pay a death benefit towards the funeral for a member who had been in the credit union for the required time, often somewhere between €1,000 and €3,000, and many insure the member's savings so that a sum equal to the savings (up to a limit) is paid as well. Ring the credit union with the member's name and date of death. Credit union savings and loans after a death.
A life policy, a funeral plan, or an employer's death-in-service payment will often cover the funeral several times over, but they take weeks to pay. Start the claims straight away so the money is there when the estate is settled. Claiming life insurance. A pre-paid funeral plan pays the funeral director directly; look for the paperwork.
Where the family cannot meet the cost from the estate or their own means, the Additional Needs Payment (previously the Exceptional Needs Payment) from the Department of Social Protection's Community Welfare Service can help with funeral costs. It is means-tested, there is no fixed amount, and each case is decided on its own facts by a Community Welfare Officer. It can be applied for by the person who is paying for the funeral, and it helps to apply before the funeral is paid.
What they ask for: the application form (SWA 1, with the funeral section), the funeral director's invoice or estimate, the death certificate, proof of the applicant's income and savings, and a note of any money available from the estate, insurance or a credit union. Apply through MyWelfare.ie or the local Intreo centre; a Community Welfare Officer may ring you to go through it.
LegacySteps prepares the application pack for families and, with their authority, follows up with the Community Welfare Service every week until there is a decision.
A death caused by a work accident or disease may qualify for a funeral grant under the Occupational Injuries scheme, alongside Death Benefit. Where someone dies abroad, the Department of Foreign Affairs' consular service can advise on repatriation, and travel insurance often covers it.
The funeral is the first debt paid out of the estate, ahead of everything else, so whoever pays it is entitled to be repaid from the estate before it is distributed. Keep the invoice and the receipt. If there is no estate and nobody can pay, tell the funeral director early; they deal with this more often than people think, and the Additional Needs Payment exists for exactly that situation.
Written and checked on 3 November 2026 against the published rules of the organisations named. Rules, rates and forms change, so check with the organisation before relying on any figure. LegacySteps is independent: it is not the HSE, the Department of Social Protection, a bank, an insurer or a credit union, and nothing here is legal, tax or financial advice.