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Funeral and costs: who pays when there is no money?

2022-09-25T09:11:04.407Z


Funeral and costs: who pays when there is no money? Created: 09/25/2022, 11:00 am By: Jasmine Farah A funeral is a sad affair. But it can also be money. Especially if the deceased left nothing behind. When someone dies, it is often a very stressful and emotional situation for the bereaved, including family and friends. Many then mourn the deceased person and need time to process the loss. But


Funeral and costs: who pays when there is no money?

Created: 09/25/2022, 11:00 am

By: Jasmine Farah

A funeral is a sad affair.

But it can also be money.

Especially if the deceased left nothing behind.

When someone dies, it is often a very stressful and emotional situation for the bereaved, including family and friends.

Many then mourn the deceased person and need time to process the loss.

But that is made more difficult by all the things that have to be arranged in the event of death.

After all, a funeral has to be arranged, and the will and the inheritance regulation have to be opened.

There is a lot to organize and coordinate.

In addition to the grief, there can also be financial worries.

Funeral and costs: who pays when there is no money?

At the latest when the deceased left little or no money.

After all, a funeral isn't cheap.

This can cost several thousand euros.

In the end it can even happen that a family dispute breaks out because of who pays for the funeral.

Fortunately, there are clear legal requirements in Germany.

According to Section 1968 of the Civil Code, the heir bears the costs of the funeral of the deceased.

imago0169047755h.jpg © IMAGO/Arnulf Hettrich

In fact, this means that the deceased actually has to pay for his own funeral.

The heir can keep the rest of the money.

But there is one important thing to note: "Even disinherited relatives who are only entitled to the so-called compulsory portion pay for the funeral indirectly," explains Hubertus Rohlfing, specialist lawyer for inheritance law at the Hammer Kanzlei Kahlert-Padberg to the information portal for Employees,

aktiv-online.de

.

"Because the compulsory portion is only calculated after these costs have been deducted." But what if there are several heirs?

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Then they usually appoint someone to organize the funeral and the undertaker.

He can pay the bill first and then get the money back from the other heirs.

How much each individual has to pay depends on the inheritance quota.

Incidentally, according to the specialist lawyer, this is also possible if the other heirs do not agree with the type of funeral or the costs of it, for example because the total expenses are too high.

"A burial must be appropriate," says Rohlfing.

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But what to do if the deceased leaves so little that even the funeral cannot be paid for?

Don't worry, Rohlfing gives the all-clear.

"The heirs do not have to finance the uncovered expenses from their own assets," emphasizes the expert. "In such a case, the burial laws of the federal states apply." These determine which relatives must pay for the burial in the following descending order:

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  • spouse or life partner

  • Children (if of legal age)

  • parents

  • Siblings (if of legal age)

  • Partner (from non-registered civil partnership)

  • Other custodians such as guardians

  • grandparents

  • Grandchildren (when of legal age)

Depending on whose turn it is according to the respective order of precedence, they must pay the total cost of the funeral.

If the person cannot do it for financial reasons or bottlenecks, the next of kin are held accountable according to the list and so on.

But be careful: This also applies if you refuse the inheritance.

According to state law, you still have to pay for the funeral.

However, if you are unable to pay and there is no one else in the family, the state will ultimately pay the bill.

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Source: merkur

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