Making Your Wishes Known Ahead of Time

In some states, you can sign ahead of time for your own cremation. This is especially helpful if  -

• you want to be sure your wishes are carried out
• you don't want your next of kin to have to sign. There are a few reasons this may be uncomfortable. For example, your spouse is not in good health, or you were once married and went your separate ways but never got divorced. That person is still your legal next of kin. 
• you don't the funeral home to have to get all your children to sign. If you aren't married, some funeral homes will require that all of your children sign to authorize your cremation. 
• you're estranged from your family 
• or other personal reasons. 

If your state does not allow you to sign for your own cremation, it may allow you to appoint an agent. Ask your funeral director or attorney if it's legally binding in your state.

You can also go over other information shown below. You can also give all the details about the type of service you want, the cremation, what you'll do with the ashes, even the obituary. The funeral home will give you a price itemization for what you choose and have you sign any applicable documents. You can even pre-pay. If you choose to plan and document everything with the funeral home ahead of time, the only thing you'll have to do when the death occurs, is call them. This is often called "pre-need" by the funeral home.

In some states, having this done by you at the funeral home will be legally binding to ensure your wishes are carried out and cannot be changed by your next of kin. In some states, this can still be changed if it's not prepaid. Check with your attorney or your funeral home.   

If you do this for yourself, it's important that you tell your family or the person who will be making your funeral arrangements so they know that your wishes are already on file at the funeral home.