Connecticut funeral price and prepaid funeral contract rights

In Connecticut, a licensed funeral director or embalmer may not offer to sell funeral services or merchandise without first giving the purchaser an itemized price list of all available services and merchandise. Before any sales agreement, the purchaser must also be told of the right to select only the services or merchandise they want. Ask for the itemized price list at the start of the conversation. [1]

When the arrangements are completed, and before services or merchandise are provided, the person making the arrangements must receive a written statement showing, to the extent then known, the price of the selected service and what it includes, the price of each supplemental item requested, the amount for each item the funeral firm will pay in advance for the family, and the methods of payment. An item may be billed as a “cash advanced” item only if the funeral firm bills the same net amount it paid for it. Ask for this statement before services begin. [2]

When cremation is requested, the funeral director must complete a written form that includes the funeral service business responsible, the place and time of the cremation, the name of the licensed funeral director or embalmer, a summary of what happens to unclaimed cremated remains, and the disposition requested for the cremated remains. The form must be signed and dated by the funeral director and by the person who has custody and control of the remains, and that person must receive a copy. Ask for your signed copy and read the section on unclaimed remains. [3]

Only a firm licensed under Connecticut’s funeral directing law may enter into a funeral service contract, and only a licensed embalmer or funeral director may arrange, promote or sell one on behalf of a funeral service establishment. The establishment must deposit any money or securities it receives under the contract into escrow within 15 days, and within 10 days after the first deposit the escrow agent must tell the purchaser in writing that it received the deposit and how much. The funds may not be moved into an insurance contract unless the funeral director describes any fees, costs or commissions and the purchaser consents in writing. Ask for the escrow agent’s name and watch for that written notice. [4][5]

Under a 2026 law, a funeral service contract must, from July 1, 2026, include a statement signed by the purchaser attesting that, before signing, they received a copy of the Department of Consumer Protection’s fact sheet on funeral service contracts and time to review it. Ask for the fact sheet before you sign. [8]

A person who entered into a revocable funeral service contract, or the legal representative of the person who died, may cancel it before the establishment performs it, by written notice to the establishment and to any escrow agent, subject to a provision of the state’s public assistance law. On cancellation, all money in the escrow account paid by that person, together with all accrued income, must be returned, less costs the establishment actually and reasonably incurred in performing the contract. Ask the establishment to itemize any costs it would deduct. [6]

An irrevocable funeral service contract may be paid out only on the beneficiary’s death, and may not exceed $10,000. It can be transferred to another funeral service establishment at the request of the beneficiary or the beneficiary’s legal representative, and it must provide that the State of Connecticut receives any amount left after the contract is performed, up to the medical assistance and other public assistance the state paid for the beneficiary. A revocable contract bought by a Medicaid beneficiary may be revoked only by the beneficiary’s written notice to the Commissioner of Social Services. Check whether a contract is revocable or irrevocable before you sign. [7]

After a death, the people with the right of disposition cannot cancel or substantially revise the disposition directions and funeral prearrangements in a funeral service contract unless the money set aside is insufficient under the contract’s terms to carry them out and a Probate Court has approved the change. Ask family members to read the contract’s directions before making new arrangements. [9]