What to do if…
you are told a prepaid funeral plan exists but cannot find the provider details

What to do now

1. Write one short “known facts” note. Include the person’s full name, previous names, date of birth, last address, previous addresses if known, approximate purchase year, any provider or funeral director name mentioned, and who said the plan existed.

2. Search for likely plan words in the obvious places. Check any life-admin folder, safe, wallet cards, will file, solicitor papers, email inbox, deleted emails, text messages and scanned documents for words such as “funeral plan”, “pre-paid”, “pre-need”, “plan certificate”, “welcome pack”, “terms”, “trust”, “deed”, “instalments” or “plan number”.

3. Check the payment trail. Look for direct debits, standing orders, card payments or one-off payments that could relate to a funeral plan provider, plan administrator, trust, insurer or funeral business. If you have executor or administrator authority, ask the bank to help identify payment references, merchant names and recipient details.

4. Use the free NAFPP Find my Plan service. Submit the details you have. The request can be shared with NAFPP members, and a provider with a matching record should contact you directly. A no-match result does not prove that no plan ever existed, so continue checking any bank and paperwork clues.

5. If you find a provider name, verify it before using it. Use the FCA Firm Checker to check whether the provider is authorised and has permission for funeral plans. Use the Financial Services Register if you need to check an older or historical authorisation record.

6. If the seller and provider seem different, check both names. A funeral director, will writer or other intermediary may have sold the plan, while a separate funeral plan provider administered it. Search the plan paperwork, bank lines and FCA tools for each name you find.

7. If the provider appears to have transferred, closed or failed, keep two tracks running.

   • Practical track: arrange the funeral you can afford without assuming the missing plan will pay in time.
   • Recovery track: keep copies of bank lines, letters, emails, names, dates, payment references, any plan number and any contact from administrators or replacement providers.

8. If there is a dispute, start with the provider or administrator in writing. The Financial Ombudsman Service can look at many complaints about the sale, administration, redemption and delivery of pre-paid funeral plans where the events took place after 29 July 2022 and the business was regulated by the FCA. It may also be able to consider some earlier events if the provider was a member of the Funeral Planning Authority at the time and the same complaint was not previously made there.

9. If the provider has gone out of business, check FSCS guidance. FSCS protection may apply where a funeral plan provider regulated by the FCA has gone out of business on or after 29 July 2022. FSCS may try to arrange replacement cover or may provide compensation, depending on the circumstances.