If you've never arranged a funeral before, the process feels completely opaque. There's no orientation, no starter guide handed to you at the hospital. You're expected to make a series of unfamiliar decisions quickly, while grieving, while other people are waiting to hear from you.
This guide is what you need right now. If you're planning a funeral for the first time, you're not expected to know this already. It covers every decision, in order — what has to happen first, what can wait, what costs what, and how to avoid the mistakes that families commonly make when they're going through this for the first time.
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The first decision: cremation or burial
This is where everything starts. Before you can contact a funeral home, book a venue, or notify anyone outside the immediate family, you need to know whether the person will be cremated or buried.
If their loved one left instructions: a will, a pre-arrangement agreement, or even a written note — follow them. This removes the decision from your plate entirely and honouring what they wanted is a gift to yourself as well.
If there were no instructions: the decision falls to the next-of-kin, usually in order of: spouse or common-law partner, adult children, parents, siblings. If family members disagree, the person with legal authority (the estate liquidator in Quebec) makes the final call.
Most families in Quebec today choose cremation. It's simpler, more flexible for timing, and typically costs significantly less than burial. It doesn't limit your memorial options — many families hold a beautiful gathering after cremation, on their own timeline, in whatever way fits the person they lost.
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How to choose a funeral provider
Once you know the general direction (cremation or burial), you need a licensed funeral provider to handle the legal and logistical steps. A few things to know:
You are not obligated to use the funeral home the hospital recommends. Hospitals often have relationships with local providers, but you're free to contact any licensed provider. Ask around if you have time.
Transparency matters. Ask for pricing in writing before agreeing to anything. A reputable provider will give you a full itemized list of what's included and what costs extra. If a provider is vague about pricing or adds fees only once you're deeper in the process, that's a warning sign.
Direct cremation is the simplest option. It's cremation without a prior funeral service — the body is transferred, cremated, and the ashes are returned to the family. Everything else (the gathering, the memorial, what you do with the ashes) is arranged separately, on your timeline. Cleo offers a fixed, all-inclusive cremation service with no hidden fees — what's quoted is what you pay.
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What happens in the first 48 hours
Once you have a funeral provider, they take over the immediate steps:
- Transfer of the body — Your provider arranges transportation from the home, hospital, or facility. In most cases this happens within hours of your call.
- Filing the death registration — Your provider files the required documentation with Quebec's civil registry (Directeur de l'état civil). This is the legal registration of the death and what enables you to get certified death certificates later.
- Obtaining the cremation permit — Before cremation can happen, a permit must be issued. Your provider applies for this. Standard cases take 24 to 48 hours. If a coroner is involved (unexpected or sudden death), it takes longer.
- The cremation — If you've chosen direct cremation, this typically happens within a few days to a week. Cleo's process takes 3 to 7 days from transfer to return of ashes.
Your role during these 48 hours: provide the information your funeral provider asks for, notify close family, and start thinking about the death certificates.
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Death certificates: order them early
The certified death certificate — issued by Quebec's Directeur de l'état civil — is the document you'll need to close accounts, claim insurance, apply for government benefits, and settle the estate.
Here's what trips up first-timers: you can't order the certificates until your funeral provider has filed the death registration with the DEC. That takes a few days. Then it takes another 2 to 4 weeks for the DEC to process your request and mail the certified copies.
Order 10 to 12 copies on your first request. Each bank, insurance company, and government agency typically requires its own original. Running short means reordering, which adds weeks. Our guide to cremation paperwork in Quebec explains how to order them and exactly how many you'll need.
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Notifying the government
While you wait for death certificates, start the notification process. These calls are tedious — nobody warns you how many there are — but some don't require the certificate yet, and starting early prevents overpayment clawbacks later. A call with a promise to follow up is often enough to begin.
Service Canada (1-800-277-9914):
- Stop Old Age Security (OAS) and Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) payments immediately. Overpayments have to be repaid, which creates headaches later.
- Stop CPP retirement pension if applicable.
- Begin CPP death benefit claim ($2,500 lump sum, if the person who passed away contributed to CPP — most people who worked outside Quebec or in federally regulated sectors).
Retraite Québec:
- QPP death benefit: a $2,500 lump sum for estates of Quebec workers who contributed to QPP. Apply online or by mail. Deadline is 3 years from death, but apply early.
- QPP survivor's pension: ongoing monthly payments for surviving spouses, based on their loved one's contribution record.
Canada Revenue Agency:
- Notify the CRA using Form RC4111. This opens the process for filing the final tax return.
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The memorial: flexible timing is your friend
Here's something nobody tells first-timers: the memorial doesn't have to happen the week of the death.
With direct cremation, there's no body to keep on a schedule. The ashes come back to you, and then you have as much time as you need to plan a gathering. This is enormously helpful when:
- Family is spread across provinces or countries and needs time to travel
- You're overwhelmed with estate work and can't focus on planning
- Their loved one had a particular season or location they loved that you want to honour
Many families hold memorials weeks or even months later. A spring memorial for someone who passed away in January. A celebration of life at a favourite lake in August. These are completely valid, and often more meaningful than a rushed service during the worst week.
If you do want to hold a service right away, that's equally valid. A simple gathering at home, a short service at a chapel, or a ceremony at a place that mattered — none of these require a traditional funeral home. Your funeral provider can often recommend venues or officiant services if you need them.
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What does a funeral actually cost?
This is the question families are often afraid to ask directly. The range is wide.
Direct cremation (no service, ashes returned): this is typically the most affordable option. Cleo's all-inclusive direct cremation service has a fixed price with no hidden fees.
Cremation with a funeral service: adds the cost of the ceremony (chapel, officiant, flowers, printed materials). Costs vary significantly depending on the choices you make.
Traditional burial: typically the most expensive option, often including the casket, burial plot, opening and closing fees, and the funeral home service.
Government fees apply in all cases — the cremation permit and death registration fees are mandated by Quebec and are the same regardless of provider.
The main cost trap to avoid: funeral packages that bundle services you don't need. Ask for itemized pricing and remove anything that doesn't serve your specific situation. You are entitled to purchase only the services you want.
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Estate administration: what comes after
Once the immediate arrangements are handled, the estate work begins. This is where first-timers often feel most lost.
The liquidator (not "executor" — that's a common-law term) is the person named in the will to administer the estate. Their job includes paying debts, filing final tax returns, and distributing what remains to heirs.
If there's no will, Quebec's Civil Code determines who inherits and how. A notary can help you navigate this — for anything other than a very simple estate, a consultation is worth the investment.
The estate process typically takes 6 to 18 months from start to finish. There's no need to rush it. The main deadlines to track are:
- QPP/CPP death benefit: apply within 3 years of death
- Final income tax return: due April 30 of the following year, or 6 months after death (whichever is later)
- Registered account (RRSP/RRIF/TFSA) transfers: as soon as death certificates are available
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You don't have to figure this out alone
The hardest part of doing this for the first time is the feeling that you're supposed to already know what you're doing. You're not. Nobody knows this until they've been through it.
Ask your funeral provider questions — all of them. Ask the notary. Ask the bank. The people who work in these systems guide families through this regularly and won't judge you for not knowing.
If you're in Quebec and arranging cremation right now, our team at Cleo can walk you through the process from start to finish. Call us any time at (438) 817-1770. We answer 24 hours a day because we know this doesn't happen on a schedule.