Resource library
Reference

Resource library

The free sources this manual is built on, grouped by subject, each checked live on the date shown: federal rules and agencies, consumer groups, state examples and faith bodies.

Every link was checked live on October 17, 2026. Next check due October 17, 2027.

174 sources, each listed once under the subject it serves most. Each entry gives the publisher, what the source provides and its status on the check date. No link carries a referral or tracking code, and we receive nothing from any publisher. State rules are labelled as one state's example; compiled lists carry their publisher and date.

Limits

A listing here means we used the source for a specific point, not that we endorse everything on it. Pages change after the check date: agencies update amounts each year, and state lists go out of date. Where a source and the agency that decides disagree, the agency governs, and the chapter that cites them says so.

  1. Federal rules and the FTC
  2. Social Security, VA and other benefits
  3. The first hours, the death certificate and the medical examiner
  4. Donation
  5. Burial, cremation and other options
  6. State examples
  7. Who decides
  8. The service, notices and help
  9. After the death: notifications, accounts, medicines
  10. Planning ahead
  11. Faith bodies
  12. Consumer groups and advocacy
  13. Courses we compared

Federal rules and the FTC

The Funeral Rule and the FTC's consumer pages. The FTC's consumer articles date from July 2012 except where noted; the rule text has not changed since 1994.

Social Security, VA and other benefits

Agencies decide eligibility. VA's figures change each October 1.

The first hours, the death certificate and the medical examiner

Donation

  • Donation After Life, Health Resources and Services Administration, organdonor.gov. How deceased organ donation works and what it means for the funeral. Last reviewed September 2021; current as of 2026-10-17.
  • How To Sign Up, Health Resources and Services Administration, organdonor.gov. How to register as an organ donor through your state. Last reviewed January 2024; current as of 2026-10-17.
  • Whole Body Donation, Donate Life Texas. How whole-body programs differ, and why to keep a backup plan. Current as of 2026-10-17.
  • Becoming a Pre-Registered Donor, Willed Body Program, UT Southwestern Medical Center. One academic program's rules (one program's rules). Current as of 2026-10-17.
  • Willed Body Program: Frequently Asked Questions, University of Kansas Medical Center. A second academic program's rules (one program's rules). Current as of 2026-10-17.

Burial, cremation and other options

Trade associations' state lists are labelled with their publisher and date; they are not official.

  • Alkaline Hydrolysis, Cremation Association of North America (trade association). What water cremation is, and a list of states where it is legal. State list as of March 2026.
  • Natural Organic Reduction, National Funeral Directors Association (trade association). What human composting is, and a list of states where it is legal. State list as of May 30, 2025; may be out of date.
  • Green Burial Defined, Green Burial Council. The three kinds of green cemetery. Current as of 2026-10-17.
  • Burial Cemetery Certification Standards, Green Burial Council. The Council's certification standards. Revised and adopted December 18, 2019; current as of 2026-10-17.
  • Home Funeral Alliance, Home Funeral Alliance (nonprofit). Education and advocacy for family-led after-death care. Current as of 2026-10-17.
  • Burial at Sea, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The federal rules for ocean burial and scattering, and reporting to EPA. Page updated August 26, 2026; current as of 2026-10-17.
  • 40 CFR 229.1, Burial at sea, eCFR. The regulation text. No changes since 2017; current as of 2026-10-17.
  • Scattering of Ashes Permit, Yellowstone National Park, National Park Service. One park's permit rules (each park sets its own). Current as of 2026-10-17.
  • Scattering Ashes, Joshua Tree National Park, National Park Service. A second park's rules, with a fee. Current as of 2026-10-17.

State examples

Each is one state's rule or guide, given as an example. Your state's rules may differ; ask your state funeral board, vital records office or attorney general.

Who decides

The service, notices and help

After the death: notifications, accounts, medicines

Planning ahead

Faith bodies

Each is that body's own description of its practice. Other communities in the same tradition may differ; your clergy or community decides.

  • An Overview of Catholic Funeral Rites, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The vigil, the funeral liturgy and the Rite of Committal. Current as of 2026-10-17.
  • Guide to Jewish Funeral Practice, The Rabbinical Assembly (Conservative). Time to burial, shmirah, k'riah, the service and shivah. Current as of 2026-10-17.
  • Islamic Funeral Traditions and Services at ADAMS, All Dulles Area Muslim Society (Virginia mosque). Swift burial, washing and shrouding, and the janazah prayer. Current as of 2026-10-17.
  • Funeral (Janaazah) at Masjid Ahlis Sunnah, Islamic Center of America, East Orange, New Jersey (mosque). A second mosque on timing and the funeral prayer. Current as of 2026-10-17.
  • Funeral Traditions (Muslim Funerals and Burials in the Twin Cities), Religions in Minnesota project, Carleton College (academic). An academic summary of Muslim funeral timing and sequence. Not linked: the address no longer loads (checked 2026-10-27); last read 2026-10-17.

Consumer groups and advocacy

Funeral Consumers Alliance is a nonprofit consumer group; its pages and pamphlets argue for consumers and are labelled as its view. Its compiled state lists are not official. Pamphlet prices date from 2020.

  • Pamphlet series, Funeral Consumers Alliance. The full list of FCA's pamphlets, some in Spanish. Files dated June 2023; current as of 2026-10-17.
  • Your Rights, Funeral Consumers Alliance. FCA's advocacy position on family rights. Current as of 2026-10-17 (advocacy).
  • States that Restrict Caring for Your Own Dead, Funeral Consumers Alliance. The nine states that require a funeral director for some steps, and which steps. Current as of 2026-10-17; compiled, not official.
  • An Evaluation of Consumer Information Provided by State Funeral Regulators, Funeral Consumers Alliance and Consumer Federation of America. A list of every state's funeral regulator, with grades. June 2021; may be out of date.
  • Your Funeral Rights, Funeral Consumers Alliance. A one-page summary of rights, in FCA's words. Revised November 2020; current as of 2026-10-17.
  • Four-Step Funeral Planning, Funeral Consumers Alliance. A planning sequence for families. Revised November 2020; current as of 2026-10-17.
  • Understanding a Funeral Home's Price List, Funeral Consumers Alliance. How to read a General Price List. Revised November 2020; current as of 2026-10-17.
  • Common Funeral Myths, Funeral Consumers Alliance. FCA's answers to common beliefs about funerals. Current as of 2026-10-17.
  • Traditional Burial, Funeral Consumers Alliance. FCA's pamphlet on a full-service burial. Current as of 2026-10-17.
  • Simple and Cheap, My Father Said, Funeral Consumers Alliance. FCA's pamphlet on a simple arrangement. Current as of 2026-10-17.
  • Guide to Cemetery Purchases, Funeral Consumers Alliance. What buying a grave means, with 2020 costs. Revised November 2020; prices are from 2020.
  • Cremation Explained, Funeral Consumers Alliance. Cremation basics and what to do with the ashes. Revised November 2020; prices are from 2019 and 2020.
  • Green Burial: An Environmentally Friendly Choice, Funeral Consumers Alliance. Green burial costs and how to make a burial greener. Revised November 2020; prices are from 2020.
  • How to Arrange a Home Funeral, Funeral Consumers Alliance. Steps and paperwork for a home funeral. Revised December 2020; current as of 2026-10-17.
  • Embalming Explained, Funeral Consumers Alliance. When embalming is and is not required, in FCA's view. Revised November 2020; current as of 2026-10-17.
  • Body, Organ and Brain Donation, Funeral Consumers Alliance. How the three kinds of donation differ. Revised February 2021; current as of 2026-10-17.
  • Death Away from Home, Funeral Consumers Alliance. Options and 2020 costs when a death happens far from home. Revised November 2020; prices are from 2020.
  • Death Away From Home (web page), Funeral Consumers Alliance. The landing page for the pamphlet above. Current as of 2026-10-17.
  • Pre-Planning and Pre-Paying, Funeral Consumers Alliance. FCA's case for planning ahead without paying ahead. Current as of 2026-10-17 (advocacy).
  • The International Conference of Funeral Service Examining Boards, The Conference (association of licensing boards). The national exam body for funeral licensing boards; no public state-board directory. Current as of 2026-10-17.

Courses we compared

We compared these courses' public pages before writing this manual. Paid courses are listed as references only, with the price as listed on 2026-10-17; we bought nothing, receive nothing and do not recommend them over each other.