Funeral fundraisers rise 70 per cent with families hit by ‘impossible situations’

The average cost of a funeral has risen to $14,000, with GoFundMe reporting a 70 percent increase in memorial fundraisers since 2020.

Analysis of the crowdfunding platform shows $28 million was donated to commemorative events in Australia last year through 300,000 individual donations.

From 2020 to 2025, the number of commemorative fundraisers on the platform increased by 70 percent. The number of individual donations to these campaigns has doubled in the last five years.

“Our data shows that while more Australians are asking for donations in lieu of flowers when mourning the loss of a loved one, their communities are responding with generosity,” said GoFundMe spokesperson Lilia Villela.

“They gather around friends, family members, and even strangers to ease the financial burden of saying goodbye to a loved one and to remind grieving families that they are not alone.”

GoFundMe took the numbers of the memorial fundraisers and commissioned further research; 57 per cent of Australians have no money earmarked for their own funeral, and 81 per cent have nothing saved for the funeral of a family member.

The research was conducted when the average Australian funeral cost was $9000, according to Moneysmart, the federal government’s financial guidance website. This month the official average cost was up to $14,000.

A GoFundMe analysis found that 45 percent of people would be under financial strain to afford a $9,000 funeral. But 34 percent of people said the best way to support someone who is suffering is to send flowers and donations.

Funerals Australia national president Asha Dooley said people should plan and prepare for a bail or pre-paid funeral.

“If you start early, a very small amount each week can allow for a funeral service, especially if investing in a funeral bond,” he told NewsWire.

Ms. Dooley said family and friends often hold a memorial service when a young person dies suddenly and the family needs to take time off work.

But Ms Dooley said cemetery fees had “increased significantly” in recent years.

“Funeral directors have no control over the prices of cemetery fees,” he said.

“The majority of funeral operators in Australia are small, independent businesses; although there are large corporate funeral directors, the majority are small.

“This way many smaller operators absorb price increases so customer families don’t have to pay.”

The head of funeral’s peak body gave NewsWire a 16-point list of mandatory and optional expenses for funerals in Australia.

“Unless a person has completed and planned the funeral, there is a good chance people will be unaware of the general costs of funerals,” Ms Dooley said.

The basic essential costs are the funeral director’s work (usually about 40 hours) to transport the body, casket, mortuary fees, cemetery or cremation fees, and medical and death certificates. Extras usually include mourners’ booklets, celebration fees, flowers, funeral service, plaque or headstone, and attorney fees.

NSW charges $41 for each cremation, $63 for the collection of ashes and $156 for the person to be buried. These taxes provide funds to the state regulator so it can closely monitor industry prices and maintain cemeteries.

While funeral expenses arise when people are in deep pain, death can create frustrating financial uncertainty for families.

Newcastle woman Natalie Beveridge found herself in such a predicament after her mother’s death.

“I was completely stuck. I had inherited valuable property but I couldn’t access any of it,” he said.

“I desperately wanted to repair the house and prepare it for sale so I could get a fair price, but without access to money I was afraid the property would deteriorate or be put on the market for much less than it was worth.”

Ms. Beveridge said the house was worth about $550,000 but she owed $50,000.

He said banks would not lend money in exchange for equity, leaving him without cash to cover funeral expenses, legal fees and outstanding rates and layers.

Brisbane property lawyer Zinta Harris said her firm often carries hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid bills because families inherit a home on paper but don’t have the money to release the inheritance.

“Our firm handles hundreds of estate administration cases, and roughly half of them involve families who own valuable property or assets but have little cash,” he said.

“We may be faced with up to $100,000 in unpaid attorney fees at any given time because our clients cannot afford to make down payments while they wait for properties to be finalized.

“Approximately one-third of our real estate clients cannot pay attorney fees upfront.” Fast-growing financier JustFund has expanded from loans to cover divorce lawyers’ fees to lending to grieving families strapped for cash.

Since it was founded in 2022 to pay for the breakdown of people’s marriages, co-founder Jack O’Donnell has seen similarities with families grieving a death.

“Families are being forced into impossible situations when they are most vulnerable,” he said.

“We created this service to prevent bereaved families from going through financial stress while they wait for estates to settle and to give people the opportunity to breathe during one of the most difficult moments of their lives.”

JustFund says it effectively provides early access to inheritance money, not making loan repayments until the inheritance is finally settled.