General Price List Compliance: A Line-by-Line Check

A General Price List that satisfies the FTC Funeral Rule is not a price sheet with a header. The rule specifies what the page must be captioned, that it must carry an effective date, thirteen services that must be priced in a set order plus the casket and outer burial container ranges and the basic services fee, and three disclosures whose wording is prescribed. Most compliance findings come from missing disclosures and stale effective dates rather than from the prices themselves. This is a line-by-line check a firm can run on its own GPL in an afternoon.

This is written for owners and managers in Illinois, Missouri and Kansas, though the Rule is federal and applies the same way in all three. Treat it as an operational checklist, not legal advice; a state board or your own counsel decides close cases, and states may add requirements of their own.

What must appear at the top of a General Price List?

Three identifying elements. The FTC's business guidance says the GPL must contain the following identifying information: the name, address, and telephone number of the funeral provider's place of business, together with the caption and the effective date. In the regulation, those last two appear as a caption describing the list as a general price list, and the effective date for the price list.

The effective date is the line most often out of date. A GPL reprinted with new prices but the old date reads as an unamended list, and it is the first thing an inspector or an auditor checks. Put the date in the same place every year and note who owns the update.

Which items must a GPL price, and in what form?

Thirteen services, in the order the regulation sets out. They begin with forwarding of remains to another funeral home, together with a list of the services provided for any quoted price and receiving remains from another funeral home, then direct cremation, immediate burial, transfer of remains to the funeral home, embalming, other preparation of the body, use of facilities and staff for viewing, for a funeral ceremony and for a memorial service, use of equipment and staff for a graveside service, hearse, and limousine.

Two of those items carry their own internal requirements. Direct cremation must show a separate price for a direct cremation where the purchaser provides the container, separate prices for each direct cremation that includes an alternative container, and a description of the services and container. Immediate burial follows the same pattern for a casket the purchaser provides.

The GPL must also carry the casket price range and the outer burial container price range, each with the statement a complete price list will be provided at the funeral home, unless the firm chooses to list individual prices instead. The casket price list itself must contain at least the retail prices of all caskets and alternative containers offered which do not require special ordering, enough information to identify each, and the effective date for the price list.

Which disclosures are word-for-word, and where do they go?

Three, and the wording is not yours to edit. The right-to-select disclosure reads: the goods and services shown below are those we can provide to our customers. You may choose only the items you desire, followed by the sentence about the basic services charge when that fee cannot be declined.

The embalming disclosure sits next to the embalming price: except in certain special cases, embalming is not required by law. Embalming may be necessary, however, if you select certain funeral arrangements, such as a funeral with viewing. The alternative container disclosure sits with the direct cremation prices and begins if you want to arrange a direct cremation, you can use an alternative container. A firm that arranges direct cremations must also make an alternative container available for direct cremations.

The non-declinable basic services fee has its own prescribed sentence: this fee for our basic services will be added to the total cost of the funeral arrangements you select, with the parenthetical noting that it is already included in direct cremations, immediate burials, and forwarding or receiving remains.

When must the GPL be offered, and what goes in the file?

Offer it as soon as the conversation turns to arrangements. The FTC's guidance says you must offer the price list when you begin to discuss any of the following: the type of funeral or disposition you can arrange, the specific goods and services you offer, or your prices. Offering it at the end of the conference is late.

The conference ends with a document, not a summary. The Rule requires the firm to give an itemized written statement for retention to each person who arranges a funeral or other disposition of human remains, at the conclusion of the discussion of arrangements. The statement lists the goods and services selected with their prices, itemized cash advance items, and the total.

Does the Funeral Rule require prices online, as of September 2026?

No. The FTC opened a review in October 2022 asking whether and how funeral providers should be required to display or distribute their price information online and through electronic means. As of 16 September 2026, the FTC's consumers have the right to get a general price list from a funeral provider when they ask about funeral arrangements topic page lists no proposed or final rule from that review.

Two things follow for a firm. First, posting the GPL online is a business decision today, not a requirement, and some firms post it to answer the price question before the call. Second, the telephone obligation is live and is being tested: the FTC's November 2024 staff report on an undercover phone sweep found staff were unable to obtain price information after business hours from 73 funeral providers, 26 percent of those called. After-hours coverage is where a compliant GPL most often fails to reach the family.

Where firms get caught

The recurring gaps are mundane: an effective date that no longer matches the prices; a casket price range on the GPL without the required statement; an embalming disclosure moved away from the embalming price during a redesign; a direct cremation line without the purchaser-container option; and an answering service that has no current price sheet. None of these is about charging too much, and all of them are fixable in one sitting with the current lists in front of you.