Minnesota · Hennepin County
Hennepin County is home to about 1,273,334 people. Everything below applies county-wide.
If you cannot afford burial or cremation in Hennepin County, call the Hennepin County Human Services first, before signing anything with a funeral home. If the person was a veteran, free burial benefits may cover even more.
Hennepin County Burial Assistance Program
Hennepin County Human Services
When they answer, say: "I need to apply for burial assistance for a family member." It is okay if you do not have documents ready. They will tell you what to bring.
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.
Hennepin County program
Read this before you call
Do not pay the funeral home first. Hennepin County will not reimburse payments you have already made, and you have only 14 days from the date of death to apply. Call 612-348-3000 before any money changes hands.
The Burial Assistance Program helps with final expenses when families do not have the resources to cover them themselves. All assets have to be applied toward the cost first. Hennepin County workers will help you assess your eligibility for burial and other expenses.
Time matters here: Applications must be submitted within 14 days of the date of death.
What it pays, what you pay
The county maximum payment is $3,000, and all assets must be applied toward the cost first. Hennepin's published guidance also indicates total burial or cremation costs must not exceed $5,000, so confirm the current figure when you apply and keep the funeral home's total under it.
Final burial or cremation expenses, up to the county maximum, after the estate's assets are applied.
Call Hennepin County Human Services at 612-348-3000, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and ask for the Burial Assistance Program. There is a burial assistance application form published by the county.
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 Hennepin 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 Any Minnesota county vital records office, or the Minnesota Department of Health Office of Vital Records (official site). County offices generally give the fastest service, and for deaths from 1997 to the present ANY Minnesota county can issue the record, not just the county where the death happened. Deaths between 1908 and 1997 must come from the county of death or the state. One copy is $13 and each additional identical copy is only $2, so order everything you need at once. Fees are non-refundable even if the record cannot be found. If you order by mail or fax you must sign the form in front of a notary, and some counties do not take credit cards.
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 Hennepin County? This page has one exclusive sponsor spot, reserved at the founding rate of $349 per month.
Sponsor Hennepin CountyQuestions families ask
Hennepin County's assistance program (Hennepin County Burial Assistance Program) can cover a basic burial or cremation for families who qualify. Call 612-348-3000 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 Hennepin County veteran page for details.
Most families need about 10 certified copies for banks, insurance, and property. In Minnesota, 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 Hennepin County? Families here are one week from probate questions. One exclusive spot, founding rate $349 per month.
Sponsor legal help in Hennepin CountyVerified against official sources
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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