Using deceased’s assets for funeral in France: How it works and new limits

Family members and heirs in France can access a deceased person’s bank account to pay for their funeral and other costs, and the amount allowed has now increased. Here is how it works.

The amount that the funeral organiser can take was increased from January 1 this year, from €5,000 to €5,910, an increase of 18%, states a decree from December 3, 2024.

What are the rules?

Under French law, all heirs, parents, and children must contribute to a deceased person’s costs, by whatever financial means they can - even if they do not wish to accept any inheritance offered to them.

However if the deceased person still has liquid assets, these heirs and/or executors of the late person’s costs and funeral can use them to help offset the expense. This can include still-unpaid utilities, rent, tax, and bills; health costs, as well as funeral and burial costs.

If the deceased person does not have liquid assets the costs fall on the heirs, according to their income and the share they receive of any inheritance.

Anyone who pays for funeral expenses without being the heir of the deceased can legally ask to be reimbursed by the heirs.

Funeral costs are defined as (non-exhaustive list):

• Burial costs and accompanying ceremony

• Cremation costs and accompanying ceremony

• Funeral notices

• Invitation and thank-you letters

• Purchase and installation of a religious emblem on the grave

• Purchase of a cemetery plot

• Building, opening and closing a burial plot

• Costs of transporting the body

• Costs of installing a funeral monument

• Purchase of flowers and wreaths.

How can relatives access the assets?

Relatives who have not yet received any inheritance from the deceased via a will can request that the maximum of €5,910 be accessed to finance the funeral and other necessary costs.

To access the money they must prove that they are “entitled to provide for the funeral”, meaning that they are responsible for the funeral and associated costs.

Organisers must also provide proof of expenses, such as invoices and receipts, and prove their relationship with the deceased via similar documents. They must also have documents, drawn up by a notaire, proving their right of succession.

Read also: 13 things you can do through a French notaire apart from buy a house
Read also: Explainer: Role of notaire in France and what to do if not happy 

Once these documents have been reviewed the relevant bank can release the funds directly from the deceased’s bank account to that of the heir.

“The bank will require any supporting documents it deems necessary to guarantee the use of the money,” states the government public service website.

If there are specific unpaid bills for the funeral and associated costs, the money may be transferred directly to the funeral directors’ account instead.

Once the maximum amount has been paid any remaining funds that belonged to the deceased are held by the bank and only paid out as outlined in the will, once the notaire has confirmed the order of succession.

Is the new amount enough to cover costs? 

The maximum amount allowed should be enough to cover the expenses of most funerals; a study by at-home aging groups Silver Alliance and Simplifia found that the average cost of a funeral in France in 2023 was €4,730 (depending on region and the type of funeral, e.g. a cremation or burial).

Read also: These are the average funeral costs per region in France

If no one in the family or inheritors has enough money to cover the costs of a funeral, then the nearest mairie must organise a funeral and pay for costs. In this case, the mairie itself will evaluate the relatives’ assets to check if they genuinely cannot pay.

What if heirs do not agree?

Any disputes are usually referred to a family court judge (un juge des affaires familiales), who will assign and redistribute the costs of the deceased’s funeral and other obligations according to each person's ability to pay.