Funeral Assistance Program

Low-income residents of Maricopa County can apply for the benefit for their next of kin. If no next of kin is able or willing to apply, in some instances, a friend or other responsible person can apply for Funeral Assistance Program benefits as long as the eligibility requirements are met.

Eligible applicants may receive up to $1,200 based on the contract with a participating funeral home.

Benefits under the Funeral Assistance Program may be applied toward burial, cremation, and entombment services. The benefits under this program must be applied toward these services and may not be used toward merchandise or add-on services.

The Funeral Assistance Program is designed to support individuals and families navigate a difficult time and restore emotional and economic well-being. To ensure this program is directed toward those in the most need, proof of income will be requested during the application process.

Go directly to the Maricopa County Human Services Client Portal at Maricopa.gov/HSDPortal. 

The Maricopa County Funeral Assistance Program pays the participating funeral home directly for their services. Therefore, reimbursement is not available through this program.

Yes. The funding for the Maricopa County Funeral Assistance Program is reserved for Maricopa County residents.

A contract that itemizes the services and costs from the funeral home is needed to establish a benefit amount. The contract must be signed by the funeral home and the applicant, agreeing to the prices for the services rendered.

Yes, as long as they are a licensed funeral home located in Maricopa County and they are registered as a vendor with Maricopa County. For a list of participating funeral homes, please contact us at 602-506-0589.

Yes.

Payments are issued directly to the funeral home approximately 10-14 business days after the application is approved. 

All providers must be registered as a Maricopa County vendor. Funeral homes can self-register here   . The instruction PDF called “register a new vendor account” can be found on the main page under “download vendor forms and quick reference guides”.

When registering it is important to list the business’s legal name, dba if applicable, and EIN matching IRS records. If there are multiple sites under one legal name/EIN, separate site names and payment addresses can be set up by filling out a separate funeral assistance verification form for each site. Maricopa County encourages all vendors to sign up for the Electronic Funds Transfer for convenient, efficient, and secure payment processing.