What happens if you can't afford a funeral?

Only a select number of options are available for someone who cannot afford a proper funeral, since death is a major expense. The two primary alternatives to paying for a funeral are donating the body to medical science or leaving it unclaimed.

While it may be unnerving to some, donating the body to medical science is the most obvious and simple solution to this financial problem. The receiving scientific institution typically handles all of the costs associated with death. However, medical donation requires prior consent of the deceased. If a body is left unclaimed, local or state governments generally dispose of it. Loved ones and family are unable to obtain any subsequent information on the body's whereabouts.