Meaningful and Affordable? You can have both.
Tender offers a range of services which are designed to make sure every family can choose the options that are meaningful and affordable to them. Every family is different, so instead of offering packages, we provide some starting points to help you work out what’s right for you and your family.
Any family can use Tender for their funeral, whether you want a traditional or more customised funeral, you have specific cultural needs and regardless of your budget.
Our direct cremation option is usually $3200
This is a cremation (burial options also available) without a formal service that still allows time for family or friends to spend time with their person and participate in ways that are meaningful to them. This includes:
- Staff time for coordinating with your family, organising the logistics and paperwork and caring for your person.
- Contribution to our operational expenses and our Tender Network fees
- Transfer of your person to and from Tender
- Standard mortuary care and cool storage for your person
- A cardboard coffin
- Medical referee and cremation fees
Our full funeral service option usually begins at $8,341
This includes all of the above, as well as a full service. This is usually a more formal gathering with a larger group of friends and family. It allows for increased staff time to support the more detailed logistics and options that come with a service. Your individual choices, like where to hold the service, affect the final price.
But every person and every family is different, so…
- If you don’t need something, we don’t charge you for it.
For example, the prices above include a medical referee fee of $160. This is not required for a burial or if your person has been with the coroner. If you’re choosing burial and you have an existing plot, we will remove any cremation-related charges. We will always let you know if there are items we can remove in your situation. Everything is listed below. - If you’d like something extra, we’re transparent about your choices and costs.
You’ll see in the table below the range of choices available to you to create the funeral that is meaningful for you. If there’s something you’d like to do that’s not there, just ask us.
If your family is in financial need…You may be eligible for concessional pricing or support from our Pay It Forward fund. We are also part of the ACT Funeral Assistance Program. Please contact us for further information or read our article on getting help to pay for a funeral. |
Tender’s Point of Difference
One of the key things that makes what we do work is our person-centred approach.
This means that we are supporting your family, often from before your person has died, through the time after their death and all the way through the funeral and beyond. We will help your family move at your own pace and find the solutions that are right for you. This is how we are best able to help you have a meaningful and affordable funeral.
A large part of the cost of funerals, even for a not-for-profit like Tender, is the staff time (supporting families in often difficult circumstances, completing arrangements, administration and paperwork, and more) and the infrastructure required (vehicles, mortuary equipment, insurance, utilities, family spaces and so on).
We will always be transparent in our prices and how things are charged and we welcome questions.
| PRICING GUIDE These prices include our staff time, a contribution to our operational overheads, and the items listed in Standard Charges (below). These prices include a cardboard coffin, but you can choose different coffins or anything else from our Optional Charges list. |
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|---|---|---|
| Tender's Standard Fees | Without a service (family participation is still welcome), | |
| Cremation without a Service, from | $3,200 | |
| Burial without a Service (not including the cost of the plot), from | $2,561 | |
| With a service, (family participation welcome) | ||
| Cremation with a Service, from | $8,341 | |
| Burial with a Service, (not including the cost of the plot), from | $7,385 | |
| STANDARD CHARGES These are required for the majority of funerals and are included in the Pricing Guide above. Some items may be waived in specific circumstances. |
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| Transport of your person, two-way | We will transport your person from the hospital, nursing home or home to Tender, then to the funeral service and cemetery or crematorium using one of our transfer or funeral service vehicles. (See Additional Transportation below for other options) | $475 |
| Standard Mortuary Care | This is the minimum standard for every person in our care. We check your person on arrival for any specific needs. We wrap your person in a sheet and place a pillow under their head. We check for pacemakers and other items and remove them if necessary. We will place them in their coffin. This also includes mortuary consumables. We do this for every person, unless requested not to by family. | $200 |
| Cool Storage | Safe care of your person in our cool storage | |
| Up to four weeks | $275 | |
| For every two weeks after | $100 | |
| Tender Funerals Social Franchise Fee | Tender Funerals Australia provides administrative, governance, communication and training support as well as other resources critical for our operation | $165 |
| Pay It Forward Benevolent Fund Contribution | This payment goes towards supporting the funerals of people experiencing extreme financial hardship. This amount is removed from your account if a concession is applicable. | $250 |
| Death Certificate | Your copy of one full death certficate and one abridged death certificate from ACT Relationships, Births, Deaths and Marriages. (Other states or additional certificates POA) | $66 |
| Cremation or Burial | Please see the section below for more options | |
| Coffins and Shrouds | A cardboard coffin is included in the Standard Fee, above. Please see the section below for more options | |
| Care of infants | Please see the section below for more information | |
| OPTIONAL CHARGES To suit the individual needs of your family |
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| Spending time | Spend time with your person in one of our family rooms | |
| Up to 90 minutes - No Charge | Free | |
| Over 90 minutes, per hour | $50 | |
| Washing and Dressing | If you would like your person to be wearing certain clothes or receive specific care and grooming prior to their burial or cremation, you can choose for our team to provide that service or to be available to support you while you wash and dress your person. This includes the use of one of our beautiful wash and dress family rooms. | |
| By Tender | $300 | |
| By Family with support from Tender | $250 | |
| Memorial keepsakes (hand and footprints or casts), including kit and staff time | At cost | |
| Embalming | Only required for repatriation overseas or internment in a crypt, vault or mausoleum. | POA |
| Coffins & Shrouds | You are welcome to choose from our stock items, provide your own, or request a custom order. All items, whether they are stock or custom, are charged at-cost only. | |
| Cardboard Coffin Easily decorated and low-impact for the environment | $150 | |
| MDF Coffin Can be used as is or decorated with artwork | $470 | |
| Teak Coffin An MDF coffin with a teak-look finish | $630 | |
| Rosewood Coffin An MDF coffin with a rosewood-look finish | $650 | |
| Wicker or Woven Coffin or Casket Handwoven from wicker or seagrass and willow, with several shapes and styles to choose from | $660 | |
| Wicker Burial or Cremation Tray For shrouded cremations and bruials | $560 | |
| Wooden Burial or Cremation Tray For shrouded cremations and burials | $350 | |
| Other coffins, ordered direct and at cost from manufurer | POA | |
| Custom coffin made to order, direct and at cost from the manufacturer | POA | |
| Shrouds - from the Tender community linen collection | Free | |
| Shrouds - make your own | Free | |
| Shrouds - other. Please talk to us about options | POA | |
| Accessories - we have a range of crosses, crucifixes and other items available | From $30 | |
| Additional transportation | ||
| Extra transportation of your person (e.g. if you have a service and cremation on different days) | $198 | |
| Distance fee, per km if our trip exceeds 100km in each direction/200km return | $2 | |
| External transport provider (e.g. if your person is being brought home from interstate), at cost from provider | POA | |
| Use of the Tender Hearse Van | Free | |
| Hire of a traditional hearse, at cost from provider (usually $1100 - $1800) | POA | |
| Delivery/Pick-up of Coffin or Cool-plate, if you are require them at home and need transport | $180 | |
| Cremation charges | We only use Canberra-based crematoriums unless you request otherwise | |
| Cremation Safety Certificate from Medical Referee Required for all cremations unless the person has been with the coroner. NSW fees may vary. | $160 | |
| Crematorium Fee Dependent on choice of crematorium and day of the week | From $956 | |
| Witnessed Insertion Family can choose to have a service and be present at commencement of cremation. (Extra staff charges may apply) | From $512 | |
| Decanting Ashes Your person's ashes are placed into an urn(s) of your choice after their cremation. Please talk to us about options. We can also help you source an urn. | $0 - $190 | |
| Burial charges | There are many factors that impact the cost of burial. In Canberra, burial plots start at $7835. In regional NSW, plot fees can vary greatly. Please contact us if you'd like help to understand your options, or if you'd like to use a site not listed below. | |
| Woden, Gungahlin & Hall Cemeteries | ||
| Queanbeyan Palarang Cemeteries | ||
| Family & Friends Gatherings | If you are choosing a direct cremation or burial instead of a service, but would still like to hold an informal family gathering, we have options available at Tender. Please contact us for more details including terms and conditions. | |
| Large Gathering (20 - 40 people) | $800 | |
| Medium Gathering (Up to 20 people) | $600 | |
| Tender Family Rooms, other use, per hour | $50 | |
| Tender Community Kitchen - depends on other spaces being booked | POA | |
| Coffin decorating - there may be a small charge depending on the set-up required | POA | |
| Other Venue and Service Charges | ||
| Venues There are many options available; formal and informal, indoors and outdoors, faith-based and secular. Please speak to us to discuss options. | POA | |
| Celebrants/ceremonialists can help guide you in creating a service/ceremony and lead it for you if required. | From $550 | |
| Faith leaders sometimes request a donation or charge a fee | From $300 | |
| Extra Service Location will be applied if a funeral service continues across two locations (e.g. chapel service followed by burial service) to cover additional staff time required. | $250 | |
| Live-streaming or AV services are charged dependent upon funeral location | POA | |
| Guest Register - A book for your guests to sign as a record of attendance | $33 | |
| Death or Funeral Notices for Services | ||
| Newspapers - As charged by supplier. We do not add our logo to your notice unless requested. | From $150 | |
| Tender website | Free | |
| Additional staff charges | For when we are asked to provide staff outside of the services described above | |
| Out-of-hours Call Out Fee For the first four hours when staff are required outside our standard operating hours of 9am - 5pm, Monday to Friday, or any time on the weekend (Sundays are the higher rate). Hourly rates apply after 4 hours. | $300-350 | |
| Extra Staff, Operating Hours, per person, per three hours | $250 | |
| Care of Infants | These replace the items of the same names in 'Standard care', above ($750 discount) | |
| Transport, two-way | $200 | |
| Standard mortuary care | Free | |
| Cool storage | Free | |
| Cremation charge | Free | |
| Washing & dressing | Free | |
| Memorial keepsakes (hand and footprints or casts), including kit and staff time | At cost | |
| Caring for your person at home | ||
| DIY Death-Care & Funeral Consultation & Remote Support A home visit to ensure you know your rights and responsibilities and that you are prepared for successful home death-care. Includes remote support at the time of and after the death. | $400 | |
| Cool Plate Hire, for the safe care of your person for extended periods at home | ||
| First three days | $180 | |
| Per extra day (total 5 days at-home care permitted) | $60 | |
| Wash & Dress Support at Home A member of the Tender team can support you to wash and dress your person at home (2hrs) | $250 | |
| Funeral Planning & Prearrangements | ||
| An obligation-free consultation with one of our funeral directors to discuss your options for the care of your person and their funeral. Please see our Preplanning Your Funeral information sheet | Free | |