Transferring Your Wishes to Another Funeral Home

Transferring Your Wishes to Another Funeral Home

So you pre-planned or pre-paid an arrangement with one funeral home but would like to transfer your wishes to another provider. Luckily, as a Canadian consumer, your rights are protected and you have the freedom to choose any funeral service provider that you would like, regardless of any pre-existing decisions that you have made in this regard. People choose to transfer their pre-planned or pre-paid funeral arrangements to another provider for a variety of reasons, like moving away from the location of the funeral home, the untimely death of a loved one, starting a family or becoming part of a new blended family later in life. Regardless of why you may need to do it, just remember that you can and there are certain protections that make it a harmless decision as long as you are working with a reputable firm. 

Is There Any Cost Involved?

According to Legacy Matters, there are some service fees that can be recouped by the funeral home that you are transferring the plans away from, however, it is usually at the discretion of the funeral director whether or not to charge for this. 

Eligible Funeral Arrangements

In Canada, there is something called an Eligible Funeral Arrangement (EFA), which can be defined as an agreement outlined for the purpose of pre-funding a funeral or funeral-related services. A person can have multiple agreements with multiple funeral directors at any given time and there are numerous tax breaks associated with them, much like when you make contributions to an RRSP. EFA’s are one of the several options available to Canadian consumers that do not want to be locked into an arrangement with one specific firm for whatever reason. 

Unsure About Transferring Your Wishes?

Like with any other question about funeral service in Canada, if you are unsure about transferring your wishes between firms, or want to know about the entire process before pre-arranging your funeral, ask a funeral director or other trained professional about the available options and which is best for you. Just because you can transfer wishes between firms, does not mean you should plan to do so. Talk to someone before getting started. 

Talk to a Funeral Professional
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