A common worry in the first week after a death: the funeral director wants an advance or payment, and the deceased's bank account is blocked. No need to panic, banks know this situation and have a procedure.
How release works
You submit a request to the bank for release of funeral costs with:
- the death certificate;
- the funeral director's invoice (or a quote / statement);
- your ID;
- the account number the money should go to (usually directly the funeral director's).
The bank then pays directly to the funeral director. You see this later on the deceased's bank statement as a separate debit.
Per bank
ING
Online via the bereavement form at ing.nl or by phone at 020 22 888 88. ING asks for the death certificate (photo or upload), invoice and funeral director account number. Processing 2 to 3 working days.
Rabobank
Via rabobank.nl/overlijden or the local Rabobank. A "Release of funeral costs" form is often sent by mail or email. Processing 2 to 5 working days.
ABN AMRO
Via My ABN AMRO Bereavement or at a branch. ABN AMRO explicitly asks for the funeral invoice and pays directly to the funeral director.
SNS
By phone or at an SNS shop. Procedure similar to the other banks: certificate, invoice, ID.
Bunq, Knab, ASN, Triodos and smaller banks
All have a variant of the same procedure. Start with the general contact form, indicate it concerns a death, and you will get the right desk.
What if there is not enough balance?
The bank only pays up to the available balance. If you fall short, there are three options:
- Funeral insurance: ask the funeral insurer to pay directly to the funeral director. This is fast if there is a policy.
- Personal advance: you or a family member pays in advance and is reimbursed later from the estate. Keep the receipts.
- Social funeral via the municipality: as a last resort the municipality can help under the Municipal Debt Assistance Act or in cases of high need.
Other necessary costs
Besides the funeral invoice you can sometimes also get release for:
- the rent of the deceased's home until the end of the lease;
- medical costs that should have been paid directly by the deceased;
- repayment of advanced funeral costs to a family member.
Ask your bank explicitly; this usually goes case by case.
Important: do not advance privately without agreement
If you advance the funeral privately without confirmation that the estate is sufficient, you run risk. With beneficial acceptance you have to inventory the debts first before you pay from the estate. Ask the funeral director to wait for the bank release where possible.
Need help?
Nalenta puts the right release forms per bank in your dossier and keeps a copy of all submitted documents. For 129 euro one-off.