Funeral Plans

Planning ahead for your funeral is one of the most thoughtful and caring things you can do for your family. Some people never get around to discussing funeral wishes with their loved ones, which can lead to all sorts of worry and anxiety when the time comes.

With a pre-paid funeral plan, you can cover the cost of our professional funeral directing services. As long as we carry out the services for your funeral and your requirements don’t change, your loved ones won’t be asked to pay a penny more for our funeral director services when the time comes. You can also include a contribution towards third party costs, such as the fees for interment or cremation, doctors’ fees and payment to an officiant, which are outside of our control and cannot be guaranteed. Your funeral pre-payment, excluding the initial administration fee and any instalment charges, is held in an individual whole of life assurance policy, arranged by our plan provider, Ecclesiastical Planning Services Ltd who are part of a specialist financial services group. The money cannot be used for anything other than your funeral, for your  total peace of mind.

For more information, please download our funeral plans brochure here. You can also book a funeral planning appointment by clicking here.

Taking out a funeral plan is a simple and straightforward way to make provision for the future. Some of the other benefits include:

• Pre-arranging the details of your funeral and including any special wishes
• The ability to choose your funeral director in advance
• Ensuring your family has access to expert help at a difficult time
• No complicated medical or health forms to complete.

Next Steps

The easiest way to learn more or set up a plan for yourself or someone else is to visit us at one of our branches. You can book an appointment by clicking here. Alternatively feel free to have a chat with us at 028 9124 2057 or 028 9163 8383 (Bangor branch).

UK residents can take out a plan. You can choose to pay for your funeral plan by lump sum or instalments. There is an additional cost for flexible instalment plans paid over two years or more, and eligibility criteria applies – please refer to the Instalment Q&A and the  Terms and Conditions for more information. There are no medical or health questions to answer but should you have any questions please ask us.

The value of the plan is kept safe in a whole of life assurance policy. The provider of our plans, Ecclesiastical Planning Services Limited, is part of a large financial services group and if they are unable to meet their liabilities, you or the covered individuals may be entitled to compensation from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). This is an independent body which provides protection should Ecclesiastical go out of business. You can find further information at: www.fcsc.org.uk.

We cover all of Northern Ireland most commonly within the North Down and Ards areas (Newtownards, Bangor, Groomsport, Holywood, Donaghadee, Millisle, Greyabbey, Comber, Ballygowan, etc), and Greater Belfast areas (Dundonald, etc.)

Yes, we find that many of our customers choose to do this.

If you move, you should be able to transfer your plan to a funeral director near your new home. However, there may be additional costs depending on local prices. Please refer to the Terms and Conditions for details or talk to us for more information.

The plan covers the funeral director’s costs listed in the plan details as long as your requirements don’t change, and your selected funeral director carries out your funeral.

The plan can also include an allowance towards third party costs such as the fees for cremation or interment, doctors’ fees, and payment to an officiant. These costs are outside of our control. If these costs, as listed in the plan details, are not covered by the plan value at the time of need, there will be a balance to pay. Please refer to the Terms and Conditions for more information.

Yes, you are able to pay by lump sum or over a range of periods. There is an additional cost for paying by instalments over two or more years. For instalment plans, the final instalment must be paid by your 85th birthday. Eligibility criteria applies. Please refer to the Instalment Q&A and the Terms and Conditions for more information. We can provide you with a personalised quote.

Yes, you can make changes to your plan after you have taken it out and once it is fully paid. Just let us know what you wish to change. There may be an additional cost if you add new features and services to your plan.

We are an Appointed Representative of funeral plan provider, Ecclesiastical Planning Services. As part of a specialist, UK-based financial services group, Ecclesiastical Planning Services has offered pre-payment funeral plans since 2006.

When you take out a funeral plan with us, Ecclesiastical Planning Services arranges for the funds, excluding the initial administration fee and any instalment charges, to be held in an individual whole of life assurance policy. This means that the full value of your plan, excluding the administration fee and any instalment charges, is ring-fenced and the money cannot be used for anything but your funeral when the time comes.

Ecclesiastical Planning Services is part of a large Group that gives available profits to charity and is proud to have been named the UK’s 3rd largest corporate donor to charities (The Directory of Social Change, The UK Guide to Company Giving 2023/24).

Yes, you can cancel your plan at any time. If you cancel within the cancellation period, the person who paid for the plan will receive a full refund. If you cancel after that, the person who paid for the plan will receive a refund of the original amount paid, less the administration fee and any payments to insure an instalment plan. Please refer to the Terms and Conditions for more information.