Pre-paid funerals

Paid for now, held until it’s needed. The services we provide are settled at today’s prices, so the people you love aren’t left to work it out.

Estimate the cost Talk it through →

A gravel path through an established native garden in early morning light

The cost

Estimate your funeral, item by item

A few minutes, no personal details needed to see a figure. Choose a service, add what you want, and see what it costs to secure today.

An estimate, not a fixed total. Cemetery and crematorium fees, venue hire and celebrants are set by others and shown here at today’s rates — those are the costs a bond is there to cover.

Talk it through

How it works

Two parts, two jobs

A pre-paid funeral combines a contract and a bond. Certainty where it counts, flexibility where it’s needed.

Priced today

The contract

Professional service fee
Transfer into our care
Coffin or casket
Doctor’s certificates
Standard death certificate

What Candour provides, at today’s prices. Fully itemised, so you can see exactly what’s included.

Set aside

The bond

Venue or chapel hire
Celebrant or officiant
Flowers
Printed orders of service
Catering and other third-party costs

Disbursements — what we buy on your behalf. These vary over time, so funds are set aside to meet them rather than priced now.

Any excess in the bond is paid to your estate.

Your money

Your money doesn’t sit with us

It’s held with Foresters Financial, an Australian friendly society, in a benefit fund regulated under strict prudential rules.

Released only for a funeral

Funds can’t be drawn on for anything else, by us or by anyone.

Your choice of investment

Capital-guaranteed and market-linked options are both available.

Everything in writing

You receive the Product Disclosure Statement and an itemised plan, and every question answered, before you decide anything.

A pre-paid funeral plan and reading glasses on a table by a window

My advice, prepare things now to make it easier on your loved ones. There is more to it than what you think.

Karen Watson · Google review

5.0 · 32 Google reviews

Paying

Three ways to pay

One payment

Paid in full when you sign.

By instalments

For pre-paid contracts, typically over up to two years.

Bond contributions

Regular amounts paid into a funeral bond over time.

Centrelink

Pre-paying and the assets test

Pre-paid contracts

Generally fully exempt from the assets test.

Funeral bonds

Usually exempt up to $16,250 per person, combined across up to two bonds.

For couples

Separate bonds allow each partner their own exemption cap.

General information only. We’ll explain your options in plain English, and we encourage you to seek personal advice where you need it.

A common mix-up

Not the same as funeral insurance

Families often arrive thinking the two are the same thing. They behave very differently.

	A pre-paid funeral	Funeral insurance
What you’re buying	A specific funeral, itemised and agreed.	A fixed benefit paid on death.
What you pay	A set amount, once or by instalments.	Ongoing premiums, for as long as you live.
Where the money sits	In a regulated fund, released only for funeral costs.	With the insurer.
What your family does	Calls us. It’s already arranged and paid for.	Lodges a claim, then arranges the funeral.

We don’t sell funeral insurance and have no view on any particular product.

What happens

Five steps, at your pace

Nothing is signed on a first visit, and nothing is decided before you’re ready.

A Candour arranger talking through a pre-paid plan with a client at a table

Talk with us

Phone, video or in person. We listen first.

Choose your approach

Contract, bond, or both.

Tailor the details

Music, flowers, venue, celebrant, the personal touches.

Pay your way

Lump sum or instalments.

Change it any time

Your plan stays yours. Tell us and we’ll update it.

Other ways to plan

Paying in advance isn’t the only way to make this easier for the people you love.

Recording your wishes

A free conversation where we write down what you’d want — nothing paid, nothing locked in.

How recording wishes works

When someone is unwell

When a diagnosis has changed things, some of the arranging can be done quietly now, at no cost.

What can be arranged now

See all three ways to plan →

Helpful to know

Questions people ask

What’s the difference between a pre-paid plan and a funeral bond?

A pre-paid plan is a contract for specific items we can price now. A funeral bond is money set aside in a regulated fund that can only be used for funeral expenses — ideal for the parts we can’t pre-price.

Can I pay in instalments?

Yes. Lump sum or regular instalments are available for both pre-paid contracts and funeral bonds.

Does this affect my Age Pension?

Pre-paid contracts are generally fully exempt. Funeral bonds are exempt up to $16,250 per person.

Can I have more than one funeral bond?

Yes — up to two per person can be exempt, if combined contributions don’t exceed the allowable limit. A joint bond counts as one bond, so the cap isn’t doubled; separate bonds give each partner their own exemption.

Is my money safe?

Yes. Funds are held in a regulated benefit fund and can only be released for funeral costs.

What if the funeral costs less than the funds set aside?

Any excess from a bond is paid to your estate. For pre-paid contracts, we’re transparent about any adjustment.

Can my family still help with parts of the service?

Absolutely — photo tributes, music, readings and personal touches are all welcome.

Can we have a viewing?

Yes. Private family viewings can be arranged at our facilities, or before a chapel service.

How is a funeral bond different from funeral insurance?

A funeral bond is an investment for funeral costs only, with no premiums, and it can’t be accessed early. Funeral insurance involves ongoing premiums and pays a fixed benefit.

What happens if I die while travelling?

Optional Away From Home Cover can bring you home from anywhere in Australia, a minimum of 100 km from home. For overseas travel, check that your travel insurance includes repatriation.

Candour Funerals

Talk it through, whenever suits

No obligation and no paperwork on a first conversation. Ring any hour of any day, or send a note and we’ll come back to you.

Call 1300 788 881 — any hour Book a pre-paid conversation