Florida · Miami-Dade County
Miami-Dade County is home to about 2,838,461 people. Everything below applies county-wide.
If you cannot afford burial or cremation in Miami-Dade County, call the Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner Department, Indigent Cremation Services Division first, before signing anything with a funeral home. If the person was a veteran, free burial benefits may cover even more.
Miami-Dade Indigent Cremation Services
Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner Department, Indigent Cremation Services Division
When they answer, say: "I need to apply for burial assistance for a family member." It is okay if you do not have documents ready. They will tell you what to bring.
Step 1 of 5 · If money is tight
Do not sign anything with a funeral home before you call. In many counties, signing first disqualifies the family.
Miami-Dade County program
Read this before you call
Bring proof that you currently receive government assistance. With that proof the cremation costs you $110. Without it you are charged $400. Same service, same county, and the only difference is the paperwork you walk in with.
Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner Department, Indigent Cremation Services Division
Medical Examiner Building, 1851 NW 10th Ave, Miami, FL 33136 (opens in Google Maps)
Official program pageThe death must have occurred in Miami-Dade County. The person who died does not have to have been a county resident. The program covers basic needs only and is treated as a last resort.
What it pays, what you pay
Families who provide proof of currently receiving government assistance pay $110. Families who cannot provide that proof are charged $400, which is the county's per-cremation cost.
Cremation only. The program does not provide embalming, viewing, or memorial services. The division also maintains the Dr. Bruce A. Hyma Memorial Cemetery.
Call the Medical Examiner Department at 305-545-2400 and ask for Indigent Cremation Services. There is a pre-approval checklist and an authorization form to complete.
Typical timeline: It may take 8 or more weeks for the Medical Examiner to fully process a case.
Step 2 of 5 · If they served
This can replace the county program
You may be able to skip the county program entirely. Veterans can receive a free gravesite, headstone, and perpetual care at a national or state veterans cemetery, plus a VA burial allowance of up to $2,000 for service-connected deaths.
Veteran burial help in Miami-Dade CountyFrom our free tools
Housing costs weighing on the family too?
Check what housing assistance the household may qualify for, including Section 8 vouchers, in a few minutes. Free, no signup.
Check housing help at CheckMyVoucher.comStep 4 of 5 · The paperwork
Where copies come from
Certified copies come from the Florida Department of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics (official site). Order online, by mail, or in person. VitalChek is the only contracted online vendor. Mail requests go to Florida Department of Health, Vital Statistics, P.O. Box 210, Jacksonville, FL 32231-0042, with a check or money order, never cash. Fees vary by county, commonly around $10 to $12 per certified copy, plus a $5 non-refundable search fee on every order. Normal processing for deaths from 2009 to now is 3 to 5 business days plus shipping, and rush processing costs an extra $10.
Order about 10 certified copies. Banks, insurers, Social Security, vehicles, and property will each want one.
Know your rights
Federal law (the FTC Funeral Rule) protects you. Do not let anyone tell you otherwise.
Full rules: the FTC Funeral Rule. If a funeral home breaks them, you can report it to the FTC.
Step 5 of 5 · If you need more
Where families find the rest
Right now
Nothing else on this page matters until these are done. Everything not on this list can wait, and most of it should.
Local sponsor
Own a funeral home or cremation service in Miami-Dade County? This page has one exclusive sponsor spot, reserved at the founding rate of $499 per month.
Questions families ask
Miami-Dade County's assistance program (Miami-Dade Indigent Cremation Services) can cover a basic burial or cremation for families who qualify. Call 305-545-2400 before signing anything with a funeral home.
Yes. An eligible surviving spouse or child can claim a one-time $255 lump-sum death payment by calling 1-800-772-1213, and monthly survivor benefits are often available too.
Veterans may qualify for free burial in a national or state veterans cemetery plus a VA burial allowance, which can matter more than any county program. See our Miami-Dade County veteran page for details.
Most families need about 10 certified copies for banks, insurance, and property. In Florida, order through the funeral home or the state vital records office.
A traditional funeral with burial commonly runs $7,000 to $12,000. Direct cremation is usually the lowest-cost professional option, often $700 to $2,000, and prices vary widely between providers in the same area, so it pays to call two or three. Every funeral home must give you prices over the phone under the FTC Funeral Rule.
No, and this surprises almost everyone: a power of attorney ends the moment the person dies. After death, authority passes to the executor named in the will, or to a court-appointed administrator when there is no will. Funeral decisions belong to the next of kin in the order set by state law, usually spouse first, then adult children, then parents, then siblings.
For after-death decisions, no. Power of attorney only matters while someone is alive. The next of kin can make funeral decisions right away, and the estate is handled through the will or, without one, through the state's simple next-of-kin rules. See our guide on what happens when there is no will.
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Estate or probate attorney serving Miami-Dade County? Families here are one week from probate questions. One exclusive spot, founding rate $499 per month.
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Step 3 of 5 · Money owed to you
The Social Security $255 payment
Who can claim it
A surviving spouse who was living with the person who died, or a spouse or child eligible for benefits on the deceased person's record.
Call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 or visit a local office. You must apply within 2 years of the death. The funeral home often reports the death to SSA, but the survivor must apply for the payment.
Full guide: the $255 death payment, explained