Massachusetts · Bristol County
What to do when someone dies in Bristol County, Massachusetts
Bristol County is home to about 588,593 people. Everything below applies county-wide.
If you cannot afford burial or cremation in Bristol County, call the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA), Burial Unit (statewide, serves Bristol County residents) first, before signing anything with a funeral home. If the person was a veteran, free burial benefits may cover even more.
Funeral and Burial Payment Assistance
Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA), Burial Unit (statewide, serves Bristol County residents)
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.
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Step 1 of 5 · If money is tight
Bristol County burial assistance
Do not sign anything with a funeral home before you call. In many counties, signing first disqualifies the family.
Bristol County program
Read this before you call
DTA cannot reimburse a family that has already paid, because a balance must still be owed to the funeral home, and a total bill over $3,500 makes the family ineligible.
Funeral and Burial Payment Assistance
Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA), Burial Unit (statewide, serves Bristol County residents)
Mail: Department of Transitional Assistance, P.O. Box 4406, Taunton, MA 02780-0420 (opens in Google Maps)
Official program pageWho qualifies
DTA may help pay the funeral home when a Massachusetts resident has died and there are not enough resources to pay for the funeral and burial. The funeral home must still be owed a balance. If there are no relatives, a funeral director may apply.
What it pays, what you pay
Up to $1,100, and total funeral costs cannot be more than $3,500.
| Assets | Cash, bank accounts, life insurance, other death benefits and money raised from fundraisers, for both the person who died and next of kin, are counted. |
|---|---|
| Residency | The person who died must have lived in Massachusetts at the time of death. |
What it covers
Up to $1,100 of the outstanding balance, paid directly to the funeral home. Covers funeral, cremation or burial, but only if the total cost of the funeral, cremation and burial is $3,500 or less.
Documents to bring
- Signed application, with the funeral home signing its part
- Itemized bills, statements or invoices for all services, with any payments or discounts
- Death certificate
- Receipts of payments made
- Pre-paid funeral or burial contracts, if any
- Life insurance policy information
- Bank statements for the person who died and next of kin
How to apply
Get the application (Form FFD-1) from the funeral home or mass.gov, sign your part, and have the funeral home sign theirs. Mail it to DTA, P.O. Box 4406, Taunton, MA 02780-0420, fax it to 617-887-8765, or drop it at a local DTA office. Questions go to the DTA Burial Unit at 617-348-8420.
Typical timeline: If DTA needs more information, it gives 30 days from the request to provide it. No overall decision time is published.
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Step 2 of 5 · If they served
Was the person a veteran?
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 Bristol 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.com4
Step 4 of 5 · The paperwork
Death certificates in Massachusetts
Where copies come from
Certified copies come from the The city or town clerk where the death occurred, or the Massachusetts Registry of Vital Records and Statistics (official site). Start with the city or town clerk where the death happened, because they issue the certificate directly and are usually far quicker. Through the state Registry, each copy is $32, or $42 expedited. Standard mail orders take up to 30 business days, while marking the envelope for the attention of Expedited Mail Service gets it back in 7 to 10 business days. The Registry counter at 150 Mt. Vernon St, 1st Floor, Dorchester, MA 02125 is open weekdays 8:45am to 4:45pm and takes check or money order only.
Order about 10 certified copies. Banks, insurers, Social Security, vehicles, and property will each want one.
Massachusetts death certificate cost, address and how to order
Know your rights
Every funeral home must follow these rules
Federal law (the FTC Funeral Rule) protects you. Do not let anyone tell you otherwise.
- They must give you prices over the phone. Refusing is a federal violation. Call two or three homes; prices for identical services can differ by thousands on the same street.
- Embalming is rarely required by law. If someone claims it is legally required, ask them to show you the law. Direct cremation and immediate burial never need it.
- You can decline anything in a package. You have the right to an itemized price list and to buy only what you choose.
- You can buy a casket anywhere. The funeral home must accept it without charging a handling fee.
Full rules: the FTC Funeral Rule. If a funeral home breaks them, you can report it to the FTC.
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Step 5 of 5 · If you need more
Beyond the county, more help
Where families find the rest
- Dial 211 for local charities, churches, and county funds with money available right now.
- Ask local churches directly. Many congregations have benevolence funds for funerals even for non-members.
- Ask the funeral home about a payment plan or a simpler package. Direct cremation is usually the lowest-cost professional option, and prices vary widely between providers in the same city.
- Considering a fundraiser? Read crowdfunding a funeral: what works.
- And take care of you. Grief is not a checklist. If you are struggling, call or text 988 (free, 24/7) to talk to someone, and most hospices offer free grief support groups to the whole community, no connection to their patients required.
Right now
The first 48 hours
Nothing else on this page matters until these are done. Everything not on this list can wait, and most of it should.
- 1Get the pronouncement. Hospital or hospice handles it; at home, call 911.
- 2Ask one person to help. Making calls should not all be on you.
- 3Look for written wishes or prepaid arrangements before agreeing to anything.
- 4Money tight? Call the county FIRST. Signing with a funeral home first can disqualify you.
- 5Secure the home, pets, vehicles, and any dependents.
- 6Start one folder for every paper you receive. You will need it constantly.
- 7Banks and insurance can wait. That is week one, not today.
Questions families ask
Straight answers
Who pays for a funeral in Bristol County if the family has no money?
Bristol County's assistance program (Funeral and Burial Payment Assistance) can cover a basic burial or cremation for families who qualify. Call 617-348-8420 before signing anything with a funeral home.
Does Social Security pay anything when someone dies?
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.
What if the person who died in Bristol County was a veteran?
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 Bristol County veteran page for details.
How many death certificates do I need?
Most families need about 10 certified copies for banks, insurance, and property. In Massachusetts, order through the funeral home or the state vital records office.
How much does a funeral usually cost?
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.
I have power of attorney. Can I still use it?
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.
Nobody had power of attorney. Is that a problem?
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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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