What is the FTC Funeral Rule?

The Funeral Rule is a federal consumer-protection law. It gives you the right to:

1. Get prices over the phone — providers must tell you.
2. Receive a written, itemized price list when you visit.
3. Buy only what you want — you may decline package deals and choose item by item.
4. Use a casket or urn bought elsewhere with no extra fee.
5. Decline embalming in most situations — it is rarely required by law.
6. Receive an itemized statement before you pay, showing every charge.

If a provider refuses any of these, you can report them to the FTC or your state's funeral board. State boards license funeral directors personally, so a complaint there carries real weight.

Read the official rule: the FTC explains all of these rights in plain language at consumer.ftc.gov — The FTC Funeral Rule.