Local servicesU.S. scenario · USDIllustrative operating case
Funeral home startup costs and financial model
The authored $1.25 million opening case is a leased U.S. funeral establishment with paid licensed management, a second qualified service professional and attendants at maturity, with cremation outsourced. At the selected retained case value and costs, about 187 annual completions cover simplified operating costs; the mature forecast assumes 250, which needs catchment, staff and room evidence. Arrangements, transfer, preparation, viewing or memorial use and burial or cremation coordination are included within documented authority. Cemetery operations, a standalone crematory, preneed trust administration and unsupported specialty services are excluded.
Capital to open
$1,250,000
$450,000–$3,000,000 by launch scope
Year 3 revenue
$1,625,000
Annual modeled sales
Year 3 EBITDA margin
17.7%
Before interest, tax and depreciation
Calculator break-even
Month 6
Monthly sensitivity; separate from annual path
Annual revenue and EBITDA use the annual forecast. Break-even uses a separate monthly calculator sensitivity; it does not establish when the annual forecast covers its costs.
This operating case allocates $1,250,000 to opening the business and forecasts $287,500 in Year 3 EBITDA. Payroll includes working-owner labor where applicable. These are planning assumptions; EBITDA is not cash available to the owner.
An editorial comparison of operating conditions, not a probability of success, a customer rating or a promise of returns. Read the evidence beside each assessment.
Weighted total
5.2 / 10
The total combines the five assessments below using the published weights.
Staged U.S. leased funeral establishment with a licensed owner-manager or funeral director, a second licensed or supervised service professional and attendants at maturity; arrangements, transfer, preparation, viewing or memorial use, burial coordination and direct or memorial cremation coordination are included within documented authority, while cremation is outsourced and cemetery operations, standalone crematory work, preneed trust administration and unsupported religious or specialty services remain excluded unless separately authorized, controlled and modeled.
Barrier to entry
Higher means easier entry.
15% weight
4.0 / 10
Established licensing channels can provide qualified management, but this leased format still requires a dedicated establishment, preparation and storage systems, local use approval and substantial interdependent installation before opening.
Evidence and assessment basis
Source fact, California example: the establishment checklist identifies a fixed site, licensed director, preparation/storage, drainage, ventilation and city or county use documentation. FTC and OSHA sources add covered consumer and worker controls; they do not decide another jurisdiction. Assumptions: a suitable leased site and qualified professionals are obtainable through established channels. Judgment: favorable-direction anchor 4 because dedicated premises and fixed systems dominate entry. Anchor 5 is not supported: ordinary premises and reusable equipment alone do not meet this preparation-room format. Scarce license access or extraordinary construction is not evidenced, so anchors 2 or 3 are not inferred simply from the $1.25 million allowance.
Sources support the underlying facts. The numerical assessment is an editorial judgment.
Competition
Higher means more favorable competitive conditions.
20% weight
5.0 / 10
Established local firms, cemetery-affiliated providers, cremation specialists and regional groups compete on trust, availability, facilities, price transparency and service coordination.
Evidence and assessment basis
Supported fact: County Business Patterns reports 15,183 employer establishments in NAICS 812210, but it does not show local ownership, reputation, cremation alternatives or catchment. Assumption: families in the launch area have several provider choices. Judgment: anchor 5 because local relationships and facilities matter, while a dated catchment and price-list audit is absent.
Sources support the underlying facts. The numerical assessment is an editorial judgment.
Demand stability
Higher means more stable demand.
25% weight
7.0 / 10
Death-care need is recurring and less discretionary than many local services, while case timing, disposition preferences, contracts, call coverage and local demographics still move volume and mix.
Evidence and assessment basis
Supported facts: Census records a large established employer base and BLS describes ongoing funeral-service occupations. These sources do not establish local case counts. Assumption: the facility serves a diversified local catchment. Judgment: anchor 7 because the underlying need recurs, while market share, call timing and disposition mix remain unverified. No local vital-statistics catchment study supports anchor 8.
Sources support the underlying facts. The numerical assessment is an editorial judgment.
Margin ceiling
Higher means greater supported operating-profit potential.
20% weight
5.0 / 10
A $6,500 weighted retained case can support a licensed team and facility near one completed case per processing day, but merchandise, outsourced services, cash advances, on-call staffing and low case volume can compress contribution.
Evidence and assessment basis
Supported sources establish classification, consumer rules and labor context rather than margin. Assumptions: $6,500 retained case, 70% contribution and $70,833 monthly fixed cost. Judgment: anchor 5 because the authored Year-three case leaves $287,500 before depreciation, financing and tax, but it depends on 250 completed cases. No local price list, vendor quote or case ledger supports anchor 6.
Sources support the underlying facts. The numerical assessment is an editorial judgment.
Owner dependency
Higher means less dependence on the owner's continuous involvement.
20% weight
4.0 / 10
Licensed professionals and attendants can distribute arrangements, preparation and service work, while the owner still controls compliance, call coverage, sensitive decisions, quality and financial custody.
Evidence and assessment basis
Supported facts: licensing, consumer and exposure-control sources make accountable qualified roles material. Assumption: more than one trained professional is available at maturity. Judgment: anchor 4 because duties can be scheduled across a team, but continuity and escalation remain management-dependent. No verified succession or relief roster supports anchor 5.
Leased funeral establishment with licensed management and a staged service team
Revenue unit
One completed, itemized and collected funeral-service case
Planning schedule
5 case-processing days per week plus compliant on-call coverage
Mature throughput
250 completed cases per year in the Year-three case
Base retained case
$6,500 weighted across four mutually exclusive service outcomes
Who are you actually bidding against?
National employer data cannot identify local ownership, reputation, facilities, disposition mix, call coverage or itemized prices. A catchment, price-list and service audit remains required.
Local market assessment pending. The checklist below identifies research to complete; it is not a measured competitor sample.
Compare the questions across each row. Scroll the table horizontally on a small screen →
Competitor research checklist · no measured local sample
Offer to investigate
Compare like for like
Evidence to collect
Independent and family-owned funeral homes
Availability, facilities, itemized prices, disposition options, vehicles and service coordination.
Current general price list, facility visit, written scope and date.
Regional groups and cemetery-affiliated providers
Integrated locations, merchandise, financing, transfer area, call coverage and package presentation.
Itemized price lists, ownership, service boundaries and current terms.
Direct-cremation specialists
Transfer area, included services, identification, outsourced or owned crematory, timing and memorial options.
Written price, required fees, authorization flow and facility disclosure.
What supports the model, and what strains it
These are operating considerations for the scenario, not measured advantages over local competitors.
Potential strengths to validate
Recurring essential need. Families require timely professional coordination even when disposition and ceremony preferences change.
Itemized records support control. Selections, direct costs, cash advances, staff time and collection can be reconciled by case.
Leased scope can stage capital. A suitable existing facility can reduce ground-up construction when approvals and adaptation are confirmed.
Tradeoffs to plan around
Fixed facility cost is high. Leasehold, compliance, licensed payroll and call coverage begin before mature case volume.
Service timing is irregular. Transfers, arrangements and overlapping services require reliable on-call and relief coverage.
Compliance errors carry trust risk. Price-list, authorization, identity, custody or exposure-control failures can harm families, staff and the business.
Case mix can erase coverage. A shift toward lower retained prices can remove the operating surplus without reducing transfer, licensed care or facility obligations. Compare itemized cases after true pass-throughs and direct costs.
Does this operating role fit you?
Evaluate the work you will do and the cost of replacing it. Review the owner responsibilities in the operating scope.
A fit to explore if you can…
Has the required professional license or a verified licensed operating partner.
Prepared to manage sensitive arrangements, itemized choices and identity and custody controls.
Willing to measure retained revenue, direct cost, staff hours, cash advances and collection by case.
Reconsider the plan if you need…
Treats the operation as a passive real-estate or event-space business.
Plans an onsite crematory or preneed program without separate authority and controls.
Commits to a facility before written use, establishment and professional approvals are known.
Where the $1,250,000 goes
The authored $1.25 million case assumes a leased establishment requiring material adaptation, compliant preparation and storage areas, staged vehicles, furnishings, opening merchandise and $250,000 of reserve. The reserve exceeds the simplified $174,000 Year-one operating loss but does not prove monthly sufficiency or cover every build-out delay, claim, inventory commitment, cash advance or case-volume shortfall. The $450,000 low case assumes an existing compliant facility with much of the equipment and limited improvements; the $3 million high case allows major construction, premium vehicles, deeper inventory and reserve. Obtain site, zoning, facility, equipment, vendor, license, insurance and professional quotes.
Leasehold, preparation-room, ventilation and site work
$350,000
Transfer, service and administrative vehicles
$160,000
Preparation, care, safety and secure-storage equipment
$125,000
Chapel, arrangement rooms, furnishings and audiovisual setup
$150,000
Opening casket, urn and service-merchandise inventory
$100,000
Licensing, insurance, deposits and professional setup
$65,000
Preopening payroll, training and market introduction
$50,000
Working-capital and service-continuity reserve
$250,000
TotalScenario range $450,000 – $3,000,000$1,250,000
Where does the money come from?
Price, daily volume and the operating calendar define this capacity scenario. Check the sold-unit definition in the operating scope.
Retained sale per completed funeral-service case$6,500.00per sold unit
×
Completed service cases per case-processing day1modeled daily volume
The $6,500 retained case is an authored weighted result, not a universal funeral price. Actual statements separate service fees, facilities, merchandise, outsourced services, cash advances, tax, discounts, refunds and uncollected balances.
Seasonality and the opening ramp
The forecast uses annual case counts and a five-day planning denominator; actual deaths and first calls do not follow a weekday schedule. Replace it with monthly call timing, service overlap, on-call coverage, leave and disposition mix.
What does the revenue have to cover?
Year 3 annual amounts from the income statement. The bars use the same revenue scale; EBITDA is the residual after the three operating expense lines.
Year 3 revenue$1,625,000
Merchandise, outsourced cremation and service-linked direct costs$487,500
Licensed management, funeral-service staff, attendants and employer costs$430,000
Facility, vehicles, insurance, utilities, compliance, marketing and overhead$420,000
EBITDA$287,500
Working-owner pay belongs in payroll. Interest, income taxes, loan principal, replacement equipment and changes in working capital affect cash available for distributions.
Five-year view · scroll the income statement horizontally to compare every year →
Five-year forecast
The authored five-year case grows from 120 to 350 completed service cases per year at a $6,500 retained weighted case. Year three uses 250 cases and produces $1,625,000. Service-linked costs are 30%. Payroll includes paid licensed management, funeral-service professionals, attendants, administrative coverage and employer-cost allowances. Results exclude depreciation, financing, income tax, replacement capital, preneed trust activity, working-capital timing and distributions. Cash advances and true customer pass-throughs must not be treated as retained revenue. The Year-three annual case uses 250 cases across 250 processing days (five days × 50 weeks). The daily calculator instead smooths 4.33 weeks per month, equivalent to 259.8 processing days per year, and is not the annual case. The later 300/350-case path needs additional paid licensed or relief coverage and room capacity; it is not a constant two-professional staffing promise.
RevenueEBITDA
$780k
$1.2m
$1.6m
$2.0m
$2.3m
Year 1
EBITDA $-174k
Year 2
EBITDA $34k
Year 3
EBITDA $287.5k
Year 4
EBITDA $410k
Year 5
EBITDA $517.5k
Funeral Home income statement · annual USD
Income statement
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Year 4
Year 5
Revenue
$780,000
$1,170,000
$1,625,000
$1,950,000
$2,275,000
Merchandise, outsourced cremation and service-linked direct costs
−$234,000
−$351,000
−$487,500
−$585,000
−$682,500
Licensed management, funeral-service staff, attendants and employer costs
−$330,000
−$380,000
−$430,000
−$500,000
−$580,000
Facility, vehicles, insurance, utilities, compliance, marketing and overhead
−$390,000
−$405,000
−$420,000
−$455,000
−$495,000
EBITDA
−$174,000
$34,000
$287,500
$410,000
$517,500
EBITDA margin
-22.3%
2.9%
17.7%
21.0%
22.7%
Annual forecast and monthly operating reconciliation
Annual revenue and EBITDA use the annual forecast. Break-even uses a separate monthly calculator sensitivity; it does not establish when the annual forecast covers its costs.
Original inputs · annual USD · whole-dollar rounding tolerance $5
Check
Annual forecast
Monthly calculator base
Year 1 revenue
$780,000
$1,270,747
Year 1 operating result
−$174,000
$39,527
Year 2 revenue
$1,170,000
$1,688,700
Year 2 operating result
$34,000
$332,094
Year 3 revenue
$1,625,000
$1,688,700
Year 3 operating result
$287,500
$332,094
Year 3 / full-volume annual revenue
$1,625,000
$1,688,700
Year 3 / full-volume annual operating result
$287,500
$332,094
Year 1 uses months 1–12, Year 2 months 13–24 and Year 3 months 25–36. Full-volume rows use mature monthly sales and operating result × 12. The calculator holds price, days, contribution and fixed costs constant; an annual price, staffing or cost change can explain a separate path. Sliders are separate sensitivities and do not overwrite this saved annual base. Neither column measures cash flow, owner distributions or payback. Agreement tests arithmetic, not demand or cash funding. Input basis.
Set the three inputs to your own plan. The ramp starts at 48.0% of mature volume and adds 5.0 percentage points a month.
Monthly revenue = the shown USD rate × daily volume × operating days per week × 4.33 weeks. The annual forecast and its reconciliation retain their stated operating basis.
Monthly revenue over the first 18 months. Darker bars clear the operating break-even line.
Operating break-even
Month 6
Revenue at maturity
$140,725 / mo
Break-even revenue
$101,190 / mo
Break-even volume
1 / day
Fixed costs
$70,833 / mo
Year 1 ramp revenue
$1,270,747
Year 1 ramp operating result
$39,527
Full-volume operating result
$27,675 / mo
Fixed costs and contribution margin stay constant when you move the sliders. This sensitivity does not predict demand, staffing capacity or changes in cost percentages. Operating result excludes financing, income tax, depreciation, capital spending and cash timing; it is not owner take-home cash or investment payback.
Use the volume definition in the operating scope. This sensitivity keeps fixed costs and contribution margin constant; it does not rebuild the annual income statement. Operating break-even covers monthly fixed operating costs. It does not recover the opening investment.
Two numbers that decide the outcome
Price and daily throughput define the operating case. The range endpoints are sensitivity scenarios; test whether your location can support them.
Retained sale per completed funeral-service case
$3,000.00$12,000.00
$6,500.00
this model
Completed service cases per case-processing day
12
1
this model
What if the schedule is lighter, or fuller?
Only daily volume changes. All three cases keep retained sale per completed funeral-service case at $6,500.00, the schedule at 5 days per week, fixed costs at $70,833 per month and contribution margin at 70.0%.
Lower throughput
Use the low end to test a thinner schedule.
Completed service cases per case-processing day
1
Mature monthly revenue
$140,725
Operating break-even
Month 6
First month contribution covers fixed costs.
Base throughput
The current modeled daily schedule.
Completed service cases per case-processing day
1
Mature monthly revenue
$140,725
Operating break-even
Month 6
First month contribution covers fixed costs.
Higher throughput
Validate the operating capacity first.
Completed service cases per case-processing day
2
Mature monthly revenue
$281,450
Operating break-even
Month 1
First month contribution covers fixed costs.
Capital payback needs a cash-flow schedule. The current forecast has no cumulative cash balance after funding, taxes, debt principal and future capital spending. No payback date or lowest cash balance is reported.
What can go wrong, and what should you test?
Use these checks to challenge the operating assumptions before taking on commitments.
Facility approval failure
A leased site cannot satisfy use, establishment, preparation, storage or inspection requirements.
Check: Use written contingencies and regulator or local confirmation before nonrecoverable commitments.
Price-list or authorization error
Required disclosure, choice or authorization is incomplete.
Check: Maintain current itemized lists, trained arrangement procedures and documented change control.
Identity or custody error
Transfer, preparation, storage, service or release records fail.
Check: Use two-identifier checks, custody logs, authorization controls and incident escalation.
Worker exposure
Preparation or cleaning exposes staff to formaldehyde, bloodborne pathogens or other hazards.
Check: Use applicable engineering, work-practice, monitoring, training, protective-equipment and medical controls.
Case overlap and on-call fatigue
Concurrent transfers, arrangements and services exceed licensed or trained coverage.
Check: Schedule relief, define escalation and cap commitments by qualified capacity.
Cash-advance distortion
Third-party amounts are recorded as retained revenue or financed without control.
Check: Track cash advances separately, disclose them and reconcile authorization, payment and collection by case.
What would invalidate this scenario?
Choose your own go/no-go thresholds before committing funds. The page does not establish a universal stop-loss rule.
Before site commitment
Do not sign a noncontingent lease or start major work without written use, establishment and facility-path confirmation.
Before advertising
Do not claim crematory, cemetery, preneed, professional or specialty scope that is not authorized and controlled.
Before care or transfer
Pause when identity, authorization, custody, infection-control, equipment, vehicle or destination information is incomplete.
Before opening
Do not open without licensed coverage, current price lists, exposure controls, facility readiness, vendor terms and insurance.
During operations
Pause services when licensed staffing, facility capacity, documentation, worker safety or cash control cannot support the case.
Before financial commitment
Defer the site if supportable retained case contribution or licensed and room capacity cannot cover the mature cost base and a dated cash schedule leaves the opening ramp unfunded.
What needs to be true before you proceed?
Treat this page as a starting case to verify. A favorable spreadsheet result is only useful when its price, capacity and cost assumptions can be supported.
Which establishment, ownership and professional licenses apply?
Can the candidate site satisfy zoning, use, preparation, storage and inspection rules?
What do local general price lists and service scopes show?
What is retained sale and direct cost by case category?
How many licensed and trained staff hours does each case consume?
Which crematory, cemetery and merchandise terms apply?
How are cash advances, authorization, custody and collection controlled?
What cash covers build-out delay, payroll and low opening case volume?
A leased funeral establishment deserves investigation only after the site and licensed coverage are feasible and retained case contribution supports the paid facility base. Recurring death-care need does not establish the local share needed to fund this launch.
Professional and establishment approvals have documented paths, but preparation, storage and facility systems make entry a substantial fixed commitment. An ordinary reusable premises setup does not establish this format.
The selected mature case exceeds operating break-even, while fewer completions at the same paid cost base reverse the result. A lower retained mix can also remove surplus without reducing care or room duties.
The case ledger must keep retained itemized revenue separate from cash advances and map licensed hours, room conflicts, on-call relief and collections before forecasts become a commitment.
What could change the view
The main risk is premature facility commitment: leasehold work, licensed payroll, vehicles and on-call coverage begin before establishment approval and local retained case volume are proven.
Who this format suits
The case suits a licensed or professionally partnered owner who can handle sensitive arrangements, price-list compliance, identity and custody records, worker exposure controls, on-call staffing and itemized case economics. It is a poor fit for an owner seeking a passive property business.
Before committing
Secure a written site and professional-license path, current local price lists and vendor terms. Then reconcile a catchment case schedule to paid licensed hours, overlapping room use and dated cash advances and collections before signing an unconditional lease.
Explore the online workbook illustration
This HTML illustration uses the website's scenario. The editable Excel product is sold separately; this view is not a screenshot or an inventory of its worksheets.
Funeral Home · Operating assumptionsIllustrative layout
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Current model inputs · USD unless stated
Input
Model
Unit
Opening capital
$1,250,000
one-time
Retained sale per completed funeral-service case
$6,500.00
per sold unit
Completed service cases per case-processing day
1
per day
Operating schedule
5
days / week
Fixed operating costs
$70,833
per month
Contribution margin
70.0%
input assumption
The published calculator and annual forecast are separate views. The downloadable workbook requires its own separate calculation review.
Service categories, mix and price
The online planning outline separates mutually exclusive funeral-service categories, mix and retained price. The public operating case uses a weighted retained value per completed case; cash advances and outsourced services require separate records.
This section describes the website scenario. It does not show a screenshot of the purchased workbook.
Direct costs and contribution
The online outline identifies merchandise, outsourced cremation and other case-linked costs needed to establish contribution per completed service case. Paid labor and fixed overhead remain separate.
This section describes the website scenario. It does not show a screenshot of the purchased workbook.
Staffing and operating capacity
The online capacity outline links paid licensed or qualified coverage to arrangement, transfer, preparation, room use, services and documentation. The selected case-hour test is conditional on actual task authority and paid relief.
This section describes the website scenario. It does not show a screenshot of the purchased workbook.
Operating expenses and working capital
The online outline separates facility, vehicle, preparation, furnishing and opening merchandise uses from recurring expenses. Collection, supplier-payment and reserve timing require a separate dated cash schedule.
This section describes the website scenario. It does not show a screenshot of the purchased workbook.
Scenarios and break-even
The online operating sensitivity tests retained case value, completed cases, contribution and fixed costs. Its monthly calendar differs from the annual forecast; lower retained value or demand can reverse the operating result.
This section describes the website scenario. It does not show a screenshot of the purchased workbook.
Statements and dashboard
The website shows a five-year operating summary and decision indicators from the disclosed revenue, direct-cost, paid-payroll and overhead assumptions. It does not calculate complete cash-flow or balance-sheet schedules.
This section describes the website scenario. It does not show a screenshot of the purchased workbook.
Explore the separate editable Business Plan and Financial Model below. The online outlines describe this scenario; purchased files have their own examples.
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A leased funeral establishment with licensed management, a staged professional team and outsourced cremation
A weighted $6,500 retained case built from four mutually exclusive disposition and service outcomes
Launch gates for establishment approval, professional licenses, FTC price lists, worker exposure controls, facility readiness and paid local demand
The online planning narrative separates operating assumptions from the matching paid product; current file contents and delivery need their own evidence
Confirm these items for your location and operating scope. This checklist does not assert that a particular license, insurance policy or employment arrangement is sufficient.
Site and license evidence
Written zoning and use path
Establishment and professional-license matrix
Facility plan and inspection requirements
Consumer and safety evidence
Current price lists and arrangement documents
Identity, custody and authorization procedures
Exposure-control, monitoring and training plan
Market and service evidence
Catchment and disposition analysis
Named competitor price-list table
Crematory, cemetery and merchandise terms
Financial evidence
Leasehold, equipment, vehicle and insurance quotes
Licensed staffing and on-call roster
Twelve-month case and cash schedule
Where could this model miss your situation?
Most financial inputs are author-selected assumptions. The source register explains what is supported and what still needs local validation.
National context
Employer and occupation data do not establish local cases, prices, disposition preferences or competition.
Authored economics
The $6,500 case, 250 Year-three cases, 70% contribution and $1.25 million budget are assumptions.
Jurisdiction variation
Federal and California examples do not decide establishment, professional or facility requirements elsewhere.
Completed-case abstraction
Every case must reconcile arrangements, services, merchandise, outsourced costs, cash advances, staff time and collection.
Product adaptation
The paid Funeral Home plan and model have their own examples; the inputs must be replaced with establishment evidence.
Evidence and editorial assessment
The site owner reviewed and approved this AI-assisted planning analysis for publication on September 19, 2026. That review does not establish local fieldwork, a local feasibility finding, an investment recommendation or applicability in a specific jurisdiction.
Extended analysis: editorial basis
Prepared September 19, 2026 from the cited public and product sources plus explicit StartFigures assumptions. The site owner reviewed and approved an earlier version of this nationwide staged leased funeral-home planning case for publication. It is not a local feasibility study, legal or clinical determination, or investment recommendation.
Leased funeral establishment with licensed management and a staged service team
Revenue unit
One completed, itemized and collected funeral-service case
Planning schedule
5 case-processing days per week plus compliant on-call coverage
Mature throughput
250 completed cases per year in the Year-three case
Base retained case
$6,500 weighted across four mutually exclusive service outcomes
We built this StartFigures case by defining a leased funeral establishment with outsourced cremation, checking official industry, employer and occupation data, federal consumer and worker-protection sources and one state facility example. We then created a five-year completed-case scenario and a weighted retained sale across four mutually exclusive service outcomes. Every budget, price, mix, volume, direct cost, payroll and ramp is an authored assumption. Local licenses, zoning, facility approvals, price lists, vendor terms, insurance, staffing, case records, cash advances, service preferences and competitor offers must replace it before investment. The online revenue outline separates service categories; every case and ancillary amount must reconcile to itemized arrangements and cash records. It does not verify the purchased workbook's contents or calculations. We reassessed entry against the unchanged favorable-direction anchors: established professional and approval paths do not remove the dedicated-site and fixed-system commitments. The annual mature case uses 50 processing weeks; the calculator uses 4.33 weeks per month. A lower-volume sensitivity holds mature labor and overhead constant rather than substitute the lower Year-two budget. Every case must fit paid licensed time, room use, on-call relief and a separate cash-advance and collection ledger.
U.S. Census Bureau · primary · accessed October 4, 2026
Defines preparation and funeral services with facilities, transport and merchandise. Combined funeral homes and crematories are included; crematories outside funeral homes are classified separately in 812220. Classification is not professional or establishment authority and does not verify the authored leased case.
U.S. Census Bureau · primary · accessed October 3, 2026
The 2023 national file reports 15,183 employer establishments, 107,566 employees in the March reference week and $4,695,206,000 of annual payroll for NAICS 812210. Payroll is converted from the source's thousands of nominal 2023 USD; employment is not annual-average full-time-equivalent staffing. It excludes nonemployers and does not validate local demand, competitors, prices, wage offers, utilization or the authored forecast.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · primary · accessed September 19, 2026
Reports May 2025 median annual pay of $78,790 for funeral home managers and $55,010 for morticians, undertakers and funeral arrangers. Licensing and training vary by state.
Federal Trade Commission · primary · accessed September 19, 2026
Sets federal itemized price-list, disclosure and consumer-choice requirements for covered funeral providers. Exact compliance should be reviewed against current rule text and guidance.
Federal Trade Commission · primary · accessed October 4, 2026
Explains covered providers, the General Price List, disclosures, itemized statements and accurate current offered prices. Casket and outer-burial-container prices may be included on the General Price List; applicable separate lists are required when those offered prices are not included there. The guidance does not prescribe service prices or validate the authored retained mix.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration · primary · accessed September 19, 2026
Explains application of OSHA's formaldehyde standard to embalming and references exposure limits and engineering controls. A task-specific industrial-hygiene program remains necessary.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration · primary · accessed October 4, 2026
Sets controls where occupational exposure to blood or other potentially infectious materials is present, including an exposure-control plan. Applying it to preparation, transfer, cleaning and other funeral tasks requires a task-specific exposure assessment; it does not certify this establishment or a complete local procedure.
California Cemetery and Funeral Bureau · primary · accessed October 4, 2026
Documents one state's funeral-establishment path, including a dedicated fixed site, preparation and storage requirements, sanitary flooring, drainage, ventilation, licensed management and local use documentation. It supports the format's dedicated-site and fixed-system entry constraints, not a nationwide rule, scarce-license claim, local approval, facility quote or the numerical editorial score. Permitted shared facilities or licensed management arrangements remain jurisdiction-specific.
U.S. Small Business Administration · primary · accessed October 4, 2026
Provides a framework for separating one-time and monthly startup costs. It does not supply funeral facility, vehicle, preparation, inventory or reserve values.
Internal Revenue Service · primary · accessed October 4, 2026
Provides federal employer payroll-tax guidance. On-call schedules, overtime, benefits, workers' compensation and state employer costs require separate calculation.
How much does the StartFigures funeral home case cost to open?
The authored base allocation is $1.25 million, with a $450,000 low case and $3 million high case. These are planning scenarios, not site, construction, equipment, vehicle, inventory, insurance or licensing quotes.
What does the $6,500 revenue driver mean?
It is a retained weighted sale across four mutually exclusive service outcomes. Cash advances, tax and true customer pass-through amounts stay separate, and the figure is not a national price.
How many cases does the case need at operating break-even?
At $6,500 retained revenue, 70% contribution and the $850,000 annual mature payroll/overhead base, about 187 cases per year cover simplified operating costs. The monthly calculator uses rounded fixed cost of $70,833 and about 15.57 cases. Its one-case daily average spans 259.8 modeled days; the annual case uses 250, with irregular arrivals and services.
Does the base case include an onsite crematory?
No. Cremation is outsourced. Adding a crematory changes classification, site, environmental, equipment, licensing, staffing, safety and capital requirements and needs a separate case.
Which licenses does a funeral home need?
Requirements vary by state and locality and can cover the establishment, ownership, funeral director, embalmer, preparation and storage rooms, vehicles, records, price lists and inspections. Confirm them before signing a site commitment.
What must I change in the paid financial model?
Replace service categories, mix, prices, case volume, operating days, seasonality, merchandise and ancillary inputs. Keep cash advances separate and reconcile each case to staff, facility, direct cost, authorization and collection.
Is the forecast a profitability promise?
No. The 250-case mature scenario is conditional on local retained prices, direct costs, licensed capacity and catchment access. At 180 cases with the same mature cost base, it loses $31,000. The forecast excludes financing, tax, replacement capital, preneed activity, working-capital timing and distributions.
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