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.

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.

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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 Jan. 1, 2024, there were more than 488,338 applications totaling more than $3.15 billion for 499,096 decedents. Applications can include the funeral expenses for more than one decedent in a state.

State / Territory Applications Amount Approved Number of Awards
State / Territory Alabama Applications 13,151Amount Approved $73,207,620.03Number of Awards 10,827
State / Territory Alaska Applications 542Amount Approved $2,011,809.38Number of Awards 417
State / Territory American Samoa Applications 33Amount Approved $91,658.81Number of Awards 16
State / Territory Arizona Applications 10,432Amount Approved $41,505,987.40Number of Awards 8,427
State / Territory Arkansas Applications 6,213Amount Approved $31,955,588.72Number of Awards 5,141
State / Territory California Applications 48,654Amount Approved $248,707,041.68Number of Awards 39,193
State / Territory Colorado Applications 5,775Amount Approved $25,434,467.28Number of Awards 4,709
State / Territory Connecticut Applications 5,868Amount Approved $33,788,194.75Number of Awards 4,940
State / Territory Delaware Applications 1,884Amount Approved $9,921,536.83Number of Awards 1,551
State / Territory District Of Columbia Applications 878Amount Approved $4,450,291.35Number of Awards 664
State / Territory Florida Applications 38,626Amount Approved $176,585,026.66Number of Awards 31,789
State / Territory Georgia Applications 23,736Amount Approved $132,946,208.31Number of Awards 19,452
State / Territory Guam Applications 37Amount Approved $162,532.19Number of Awards 23
State / Territory Hawaii Applications 909Amount Approved $4,007,577.90Number of Awards 691
State / Territory Idaho Applications 2,169Amount Approved $10,015,877.32Number of Awards 1,832
State / Territory Illinois Applications 23,455Amount Approved $133,917,894.73Number of Awards 19,485
State / Territory Indiana Applications 12,306Amount Approved $70,899,105.92Number of Awards 10,313
State / Territory Iowa Applications 5,070Amount Approved $30,363,040.36Number of Awards 4,276
State / Territory Kansas Applications 5,392Amount Approved $29,583,498.81Number of Awards 4,551
State / Territory Kentucky Applications 11,494Amount Approved $68,614,238.84Number of Awards 9,553
State / Territory Louisiana Applications 9,752Amount Approved $53,562,934.11Number of Awards 7,793
State / Territory Maine Applications 1,443Amount Approved $6,300,762.66Number of Awards 1,175
State / Territory Marshall Islands Applications Less than 10Amount Approved $7,148.71Number of Awards Less than 10
State / Territory Maryland Applications 10,294Amount Approved $57,313,095.93Number of Awards 8,540
State / Territory Massachusetts Applications 11,203Amount Approved $64,300,650.42Number of Awards 9,412
State / Territory Michigan Applications 21,615Amount Approved $112,250,775.54Number of Awards 18,216
State / Territory Minnesota Applications 6,604Amount Approved $38,021,552.26Number of Awards 5,627
State / Territory Mississippi Applications 8,809Amount Approved $48,138,187.75Number of Awards 7,107
State / Territory Missouri Applications 12,102Amount Approved $63,659,249.26Number of Awards 10,255
State / Territory Montana Applications 1,505Amount Approved $6,407,992.72Number of Awards 1,266
State / Territory Nebraska Applications 2,701Amount Approved $15,615,488.56Number of Awards 2,278
State / Territory Nevada Applications 5,141Amount Approved $21,499,033.23Number of Awards 4,111
State / Territory New Hampshire Applications 1,637Amount Approved $8,019,815.87Number of Awards 1,345
State / Territory New Jersey Applications 19,174Amount Approved $110,802,361.54Number of Awards 16,017
State / Territory New Mexico Applications 3,877Amount Approved $16,338,504.74Number of Awards 3,093
State / Territory New York Applications 41,714Amount Approved $235,786,433.28Number of Awards 34,292
State / Territory North Carolina Applications 20,006Amount Approved $108,150,686.19Number of Awards 16,661
State / Territory North Dakota Applications 1,346Amount Approved $8,504,447.18Number of Awards 1,148
State / Territory Northern Mariana Islands Applications 37Amount Approved $119,411.99Number of Awards 22
State / Territory Ohio Applications 26,007Amount Approved $143,335,330.60Number of Awards 22,159
State / Territory Oklahoma Applications 9,369Amount Approved $48,633,645.89Number of Awards 7,817
State / Territory Oregon Applications 3,090Amount Approved $10,936,581.65Number of Awards 2,493
State / Territory Pennsylvania Applications 28,529Amount Approved $160,792,727.11Number of Awards 24,296
State / Territory Puerto Rico Applications 3,319Amount Approved $10,460,736.60Number of Awards 2,609
State / Territory Rhode Island Applications 1,895Amount Approved $10,927,763.72Number of Awards 1,600
State / Territory South Carolina Applications 13,323Amount Approved $74,075,290.07Number of Awards 11,049
State / Territory South Dakota Applications 1,348Amount Approved $8,039,003.99Number of Awards 1,134
State / Territory Tennessee Applications 16,898Amount Approved $94,713,202.70Number of Awards 14,148
State / Territory Texas Applications 51,997Amount Approved $276,444,264.67Number of Awards 42,820
State / Territory US Virgin Islands Applications 102Amount Approved $499,934.82Number of Awards 78
State / Territory Utah Applications 2,739Amount Approved $15,249,053.22Number of Awards 2,266
State / Territory Vermont Applications 402Amount Approved $1,854,945.94Number of Awards 339
State / Territory Virginia Applications 14,178Amount Approved $78,112,711.31Number of Awards 11,853
State / Territory Washington Applications 5,352Amount Approved $22,369,417.54Number of Awards 4,267
State / Territory West Virginia Applications 4,899Amount Approved $27,736,885.20Number of Awards 4,102
State / Territory Wisconsin Applications 9,771Amount Approved $54,777,954.71Number of Awards 8,312
State / Territory Wyoming Applications 933Amount Approved $4,279,025.79Number of Awards 786

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.

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