Washington funeral pricing, embalming and prepaid-plan rights

Washington funeral directors must give accurate retail prices for their merchandise and services when you ask by voice, text, electronic or similar transmission. When arrangements are completed, or before the service is provided, they must give the person making the arrangements a written, itemized statement showing, as far as then known, the price of what was selected, any supplemental items, and the estimated amount of each item the funeral firm will pay for on your behalf. An item billed as cash advanced must be billed at the same net amount the funeral director paid. Ask for the itemized statement before you approve the arrangements. [1]

A licensed embalmer may not embalm without first getting authorization from the person or people who have the right to control the disposition. The funeral director or embalmer must tell the family that embalming is not required by state law, except under certain conditions set by state board of health rule. Remains must be refrigerated or embalmed on receipt, but the authorization requirement must be met before embalming. Ask whether refrigeration can be used instead of embalming for the arrangements you want. [2]

Only a funeral establishment licensed in Washington may enter into prearrangement funeral service contracts. For a trust-funded contract, at least 90% of the cash purchase price paid in advance, excluding sales tax, must be placed in trust, and the establishment may retain up to 10%. Deposits are due by the 20th day of the month after each payment is received. Ask for the name of the trust and the amount that will be deposited for your contract. [3][4]

If a trust-funded contract is canceled within 30 calendar days of signing, the purchaser must receive a full refund of all money paid under the contract. After that period, a purchaser or beneficiary with a revocable contract may demand a refund of the amount in trust. Trust earnings are added after reasonable trust fees, taxes and expenses, with administration fees capped at 1% a year, and the contract must say that up to 10% of the contract amount may be retained by the seller on cancellation. Ask for a written statement of what is held in trust for your contract. [4]

A trust-funded contract must say whether it is revocable. A contract funded through insurance must instead tell the purchaser that amounts paid for insurance may not be refundable, so do not assume the trust refund rules above apply to it. Ask how your contract is funded and whether it is revocable before you sign. [4][5]