Soka Funeral Package in Singapore

Soka funeral package prices and inclusions

Harmony Funeral Care's Soka funeral package starts from $3,380 nett at a funeral parlour and from $4,360 nett for a 3-day wake at an HDB void deck. Prices are nett starting prices. Funeral parlour rental, third-party fees and optional services are separate, and your itemised quotation shows the exact scope before you commit. For other faiths, see our funeral package price comparison.

What the Soka package includes

These are the inclusions published for Harmony Funeral Care's Soka package. Items marked “on request” are optional or pay-as-you-use. Confirm the exact scope for your venue in your quotation.

What is not included, and optional extras

Government fees are set by NEA and may change. Third-party fees are set by that party and confirmed at the time of booking.

Soka chanting and wake arrangements in the package

A Soka funeral is built around chanting. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is chanted, and passages of the Lotus Sutra may be recited, as members do in their daily practice, to pray for the deceased. In Singapore the chanting is conducted by Soka Gakkai Singapore, and the timings are coordinated with the family, so no single schedule applies to every family.

For the religious background, key Soka terms and what to expect as a guest, see our Soka funeral services guide.

What is Soka Gakkai Buddhism?

Soka Gakkai International (SGI) describes the Soka Gakkai as a global, community-based Buddhist organisation promoting peace, culture and education, whose members practise Nichiren Buddhism by chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and reciting parts of the Lotus Sutra at home. Nichiren was a 13th-century Japanese Buddhist teacher. In Singapore the organisation is Soka Gakkai Singapore (SGS), formerly the Singapore Soka Association. Soka Gakkai is a different tradition from the Chinese Buddhist and Taoist practices that many Singapore funerals follow, so Soka rites should not be assumed to match them.

How the chanting is arranged during the wake

Soka Gakkai Singapore conducts the chanting, and the fee for its setup is payable directly to Soka Gakkai Singapore, not to Harmony Funeral Care. We liaise with them on the setup and chanting times, including the timing of sending the deceased back to the wake venue. Before Soka Gakkai Singapore undertakes the chanting, a short interview is conducted to determine whether the deceased was a member of Soka Gakkai Singapore. Questions about the Gohonzon, altar items or how the chanting should be conducted should go to Soka Gakkai Singapore or the family’s Soka leader, who are the proper authority.

Who conducts the chanting

Soka funerals do not depend on monks or priests. SGI’s published account of the movement’s funerals describes them as held among family and fellow members without priests, with sutra passages recited and chanting for the deceased (a Japanese account, so Singapore practice is as described above). Harmony Funeral Care does not conduct religious rites. We provide the funeral director, venue setup and logistics, and we liaise with Soka Gakkai Singapore on timings.

The final farewell and cremation

On funeral day, the family and community gather for the final chanting and farewell before the casket is closed and taken by hearse to the crematorium. Our funeral directors guide the family through each step. See funeral day, cremation and ashes for the process.

Where can a Soka wake be held: void deck, parlour or home?

A Soka wake can be held at an HDB void deck, at a funeral parlour or, where permitted, at a private residence. The best choice depends on your guest numbers, budget, privacy needs and how close you want the wake to be to home.

Source for permits: NEA: Arranging a funeral. Funeral parlour rental is separate from our package price. See our guide to funeral parlours in Singapore for addresses and daily rates, and our page on HDB void deck funerals. We help you book the venue.

How many wake days does a Soka funeral package cover?

There is no fixed number of wake days for a Soka funeral. The length is decided by the family, taking into account relatives travelling from overseas, the community's chanting schedule, the venue and budget. Not all Soka families follow the same duration.

Under NEA's rules, a wake can run up to 7 days after death without special permission. If no viewing is held, the body must be in a hermetically sealed coffin. Source: NEA.

What to do when someone passes away

When a death occurs, a doctor certifies it and you can call a funeral director at any time. The steps below follow Singapore's current process. Each step can happen at the same time as the next, and we guide you through them.

1. Obtain certification of death. A doctor certifies the death, at the hospital or, for a death at home, a family doctor or a neighbourhood doctor who makes house calls. If no doctor can certify the death, call the police.
2. Understand registration and documents. Once the doctor certifies the death online, it is registered automatically, so there is no counter to visit. The next of kin downloads the digital death certificate (details below).
3. Contact a funeral director. Call or WhatsApp Harmony Funeral Care on +65 9489 2424. We are available 24/7 and begin arrangements as soon as you contact us.
4. Arrange transfer and professional care. We collect your loved one from the hospital or home and take them to our embalming care centre for cleansing, dressing and embalming.
5. Confirm the Soka wake venue and duration. Together we choose between an HDB void deck, a funeral parlour or a private residence, and the number of wake days.
6. Coordinate with Soka Gakkai Singapore. Soka Gakkai Singapore conducts the chanting, and its setup fee is payable directly to them. We liaise with them on the setup and chanting times.
7. Confirm funeral-day and cremation arrangements. We agree the funeral-day schedule, hearse and coach, and guide you through the cremation booking and ash collection.

Timing depends on the doctor, venue approval and supplier availability, so we cannot promise that a complete wake will be ready within a fixed number of hours. We begin immediately and keep you informed of realistic timing at each step.

Death certification and registration in Singapore

In Singapore, a death is registered automatically once a doctor certifies it online, and the next of kin then downloads a digital death certificate. Since 29 May 2022, families no longer register a death at a physical counter, according to the National Environment Agency (NEA).

• Death in hospital: the hospital doctor certifies the death. Show the deceased's identity document so the particulars can be entered, and ask for the certificate number.
• Death at home: engage a doctor to certify the death. If the doctor cannot certify it or none can be reached, call the police. In that case, the police may refer the death to a coroner, and the police will tell the family what to do next.
• Digital death certificate: the next of kin or an authorised person downloads it from LifeSG within 30 days of certification, using the certificate number and identity number from the doctor or hospital. After 30 days, a death extract can be applied for. There is no fee for registration or the digital certificate.
• If the online system is unavailable: the doctor can issue a manual Confirmation of Death, and registration is completed automatically once the doctor certifies online.
• Permit to Cremate: this is a separate step. The next of kin, or someone authorised such as your funeral director, applies for it on NEA's online portal.

Source: Immigration & Checkpoints Authority and NEA. Procedures change, so your funeral director will confirm the current steps with you.

Funeral day, cremation and ashes

On funeral day, the final chanting and farewell take place at the wake, with timings coordinated with Soka Gakkai Singapore. The casket is then closed and taken by hearse to the crematorium, with family and guests following by coach, and the ashes are collected afterwards. Our funeral directors guide the family through each step.

• Final chanting and farewell: conducted by Soka Gakkai Singapore. We liaise with them on the timing.
• Closing of the casket: where the family wishes, the casket is closed at the end of the farewell, before it is moved to the hearse.
• Transport: the package includes a glass funeral hearse and a 45-seater air-conditioned coach (return trip).
• Cremation: NEA operates two government crematoria, Mandai Crematorium and Mandai North Crematorium. The government cremation fee is $100 for an adult and $50 for a child under 10. A Permit to Cremate is needed before a slot is booked, and the cortege should arrive within 15 minutes of the slot start.
• Ash collection: under NEA's cremation terms, ashes can be collected from 3pm on the same day if the cremation at Mandai Crematorium finishes before 12 noon (or before 11am at Mandai North). Otherwise they are collected the next day during counter hours, within 14 days. Same-day collection cannot be promised for every slot, so confirm the timing when the slot is booked. Our package includes an ash collection service.

Placing the ashes

Families can place the ashes in a government columbarium niche, scatter them at an NEA ash-scattering garden or at sea in the designated area, or keep them at home. Soka Gakkai Singapore also offers the An-Le Memorial Hall columbarium, with application open to SGS members and their immediate next of kin. See SGS's funeral and columbarium page and NEA's ash storage page.

Cremation fees, ash-collection terms and niche prices are set by NEA and can change. Read more in our guide to burials and cremations in Singapore.

Soka funeral customs and etiquette in Singapore

Visitors to a Soka wake can pay their respects quietly, and the family decides how involved guests are. Practices vary between families, so follow the family's lead and ask a family member if you are unsure.

Why choose Harmony Funeral Care for a Soka funeral package?

Families choose us for clear pricing, round-the-clock help and a funeral director who explains each step.

• A founder who is a licensed embalmer: Harmony Tee is the third generation of the family in the profession and has worked in it since 2017.
• Transparent, itemised quotations: you see what is included, what is excluded and what is charged by use before you commit. See our transparent pricing policy.
• 24-hour assistance: a minimum of two funeral directors are assigned to every case, 24/7.
• Experience across traditions: we arrange Buddhist, Taoist, Christian, Roman Catholic, Soka and non-religious funerals.
• Guidance for bereaved families: the first consultation is free and non-obligatory.

Frequently asked questions about the Soka funeral package

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