How much do you Pay a Preacher for a Funeral?

First and foremost a funeral is not cheap, bottom line. Funeral homes charge a lot of money for burial or cremation services. The big question consumers have is “how much do you pay a preacher for a funeral?”

Now an average honorarium for a preacher is $100-$300 depending on the service.

Source: Medium.com

Here’s the thing, you or your family members should not have to pay anything for the service including memorial services or graveside services. Let burial insurance do that for you, burial insurance is designed to cover funeral expenses.

You can easily shop for a funeral insurance plan by filling out our quote form to your right. There you will be able to speak with one of our agents and get a policy that will pay for any funeral plans you have with the funeral director.

In this article, we will cover how much pastors or priests typically are paid and why you should use burial insurance to cover all of this so you or your family do not come out of pocket.

Minister Fees for Funeral Service 2024

How much should you give a minister for a funeral? The truth is there is no set fee when it comes to how much you should pay a preacher for the funeral but if you have final expense life insurance you will not have to pay anything.

Funeral homes and churches have staff members whether it is funeral arrangers or church members the funeral needs to pay these individuals for burial services performed. This is why a monetary gift to preachers or churches is something they appreciate.

That being said funerals are not cheap. The average funeral is $7848 with cremation being $5365 with a viewing. Having burial insurance is worth it for these expenses because life insurance does cover funeral costs.

Source: dignitymemorial.com

Cash Advance Items

These items play a factor in the costs of funerals. These are any goods or services purchased from a third-party vendor on behalf of the customer

Source: neptunesociety.com

Etiquette for Paying a Pastor for a Funeral

There are 2 different ways to follow proper etiquette when paying a pastor for a funeral. They simply tell you the fee they charge upfront or ask you to donate to their church.

A donation does not always have to be in the form of money. You can also donate clothes, food or other items depending on the needs of that particular church.

Source: starkfuneral.com

Paying a Pastor for a Graveside Service

Now if you are wondering how much should you pay a pastor for a graveside service the honorarium for that would be $50-$200. This is a good general range for a pastor conducting a graveside service for a funeral.

Keep in mind this is not considered a tip for a pastor. A gratuity tip for a pastor is not a custom.

Thanking The Pastor for The Funeral Service

Writing a thank you card to the pastor, saying thank you in person, playing music for the pastor, preparing food for the pastor and offering gifts are all another way aside from your donation to thank him for the funeral service.

Those are the best ways to express gratitude to a pastor for the funeral service.

Burial Insurance can Pay the Preacher for you.

With all of these expenses taken into account when it comes to “how much should you pay a preacher for a funeral?” the answer should be nothing the life insurance will take care of it. This is the value in whole life final expense insurance.

When you or your loved one die your named beneficiary will receive the cash benefit from the policy and be able to pay the preacher, funeral home, and any other fees within 24-48 of receiving a certificate of death.

This means you or your loved ones will have peace of mind knowing no matter how much the funeral costs it’s covered.

This is why when researching how much you should pay the preacher or the funeral home in order to really plan ahead just take out a funeral insurance policy.

For a small monthly fee, you or your loved one can get a face amount of up to $40,000 which will more than cover any funeral expenses including inflation.

Life Insurance is better than Preneed Burial

A lot of funeral homes will try to sell you on their “insurance program” which is basically a prepaid burial which if you do have the money then you can prepay your burial.

That being said if you die outside of the state or the funeral home shuts down all of that money you paid was for nothing.

You can read our full article on preneed vs burial insurance here.

Burial Insurance Example Pricing to Pay the Preacher and Funeral Home

Below you will see our general pricing chart by age for our plans. To see an exact quote for yourself, fill out the form to your right.

Conclusion

Do not pay out of pocket for your funeral when you do not have to. If you are concerned with how much you pay a preacher for a funeral, just get a life insurance policy that will pay them for you. In addition to this, burial insurance policies build cash value like extra savings on top of the coverage you already have.

Nothing will ever replace the type of service life insurance for funerals can give you and your loved ones.

FAQ’s

do you pay the church for a funeral?

No, most churches do not charge for funeral service

how much should I pay a priest for a funeral?

A Roman Catholic Priest usually costs $250-$600.

how much do priests charge for funerals?

$250-$600 in most cases.