No, at the time of writing this article (04/06/20) there's no legal obligation for anyone to pay for their parent’s funeral.
This is the case whether you’re either unable to meet the cost of a funeral, or whether you simply don’t want to.
However, it’s very common for the children of the deceased to help fund and arrange the funeral service of a lost parent.
If you do decide to cover funeral costs you have the legal right in the UK to claim that money back from their estate at a later date.
If your parent had written a will, then the executor of their estate will be responsible for arranging the funeral service.
If no will is present, the family are normally responsible for carrying out this task.
There are 2 ways in which you can recoup/fund the cost of the funeral:
- From the deceased estate, after it has been settled and probate is granted.
Funeral costs are usually one the executor’s first priorities; however, it usually takes around 6-9 months for estates to pay out, (assuming there are no complications, like someone contesting the will) - Pay for the funeral using funds from your parents’ bank account.
Most banks will agree to release up to £5,000 to cover funeral costs when provided with an invoice from a funeral director. In order to receive these funds a bank will normally request a certified copy of the death certificate before releasing funds