California · Contra Costa County
Contra Costa County is home to about 1,172,607 people. Everything below applies county-wide.
If you cannot afford burial or cremation in Contra Costa County, help exists: the county has a legal process for indigent burial, Social Security pays an eligible spouse or child $255, and veterans qualify for free burial benefits. We are still verifying Contra Costa County's exact program contact; the steps below work everywhere in California.
Step 1 of 5 · If money is tight
Do not sign anything with a funeral home before you call. In many counties, signing first disqualifies the family.
Two calls that reach the right office
We have not yet phone-verified Contra Costa County's program details. Until we do, these two calls reach the right office fast:
How these programs work everywhere: indigent burial, explained.
Step 2 of 5 · If they served
This can replace the county program
You may be able to skip the county program entirely. Veterans can receive a free gravesite, headstone, and perpetual care at a national or state veterans cemetery, plus a VA burial allowance of up to $2,000 for service-connected deaths.
Veteran burial help in Contra Costa CountyFrom our free tools
Housing costs weighing on the family too?
Check what housing assistance the household may qualify for, including Section 8 vouchers, in a few minutes. Free, no signup.
Check housing help at CheckMyVoucher.comStep 4 of 5 · The paperwork
Where copies come from
Certified copies come from the California Department of Public Health, Vital Records (CDPH-VR), or the county recorder in the county where the death occurred (official site). You can order from the county where the death happened or from CDPH Vital Records. The county is usually faster, but it can only issue records for deaths that occurred there, while CDPH can issue for anywhere in California. California has two versions and the difference matters: an authorized certified copy can be used to settle affairs, while a certified informational copy is stamped "INFORMATIONAL, NOT A VALID DOCUMENT TO ESTABLISH IDENTITY" and will be refused by banks and insurers. To get the authorized copy you must include a notarized sworn statement that you are entitled to it. Ask for the authorized copy.
Order about 10 certified copies. Banks, insurers, Social Security, vehicles, and property will each want one.
Know your rights
Federal law (the FTC Funeral Rule) protects you. Do not let anyone tell you otherwise.
Full rules: the FTC Funeral Rule. If a funeral home breaks them, you can report it to the FTC.
Step 5 of 5 · If you need more
Where families find the rest
Right now
Nothing else on this page matters until these are done. Everything not on this list can wait, and most of it should.
Local sponsor
Own a funeral home or cremation service in Contra Costa County? This page has one exclusive sponsor spot, reserved at the founding rate of $349 per month.
Sponsor Contra Costa CountyQuestions families ask
The county where the death occurred is generally responsible when a family truly cannot pay. Call 211 or the Contra Costa County offices and ask for the indigent burial program before signing anything with a funeral home.
Yes. An eligible surviving spouse or child can claim a one-time $255 lump-sum death payment by calling 1-800-772-1213, and monthly survivor benefits are often available too.
Veterans may qualify for free burial in a national or state veterans cemetery plus a VA burial allowance, which can matter more than any county program. See our Contra Costa County veteran page for details.
Most families need about 10 certified copies for banks, insurance, and property. In California, order through the funeral home or the state vital records office.
A traditional funeral with burial commonly runs $7,000 to $12,000. Direct cremation is usually the lowest-cost professional option, often $700 to $2,000, and prices vary widely between providers in the same area, so it pays to call two or three. Every funeral home must give you prices over the phone under the FTC Funeral Rule.
No, and this surprises almost everyone: a power of attorney ends the moment the person dies. After death, authority passes to the executor named in the will, or to a court-appointed administrator when there is no will. Funeral decisions belong to the next of kin in the order set by state law, usually spouse first, then adult children, then parents, then siblings.
For after-death decisions, no. Power of attorney only matters while someone is alive. The next of kin can make funeral decisions right away, and the estate is handled through the will or, without one, through the state's simple next-of-kin rules. See our guide on what happens when there is no will.
Legal help sponsor
Estate or probate attorney serving Contra Costa County? Families here are one week from probate questions. One exclusive spot, founding rate $349 per month.
Sponsor legal help in Contra Costa CountyReviewed by the Final Steps Help research team.
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Step 3 of 5 · Money owed to you
The Social Security $255 payment
Who can claim it
A surviving spouse who was living with the person who died, or a spouse or child eligible for benefits on the deceased person's record.
Call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 or visit a local office. You must apply within 2 years of the death. The funeral home often reports the death to SSA, but the survivor must apply for the payment.
Full guide: the $255 death payment, explained