Death is inescapable for us all. As we die however, the living sometimes fret over what is left behind – hefty medical bills, funeral expenses and needless to say, a heavy heart.
Funeral expenses can be manageable for some but to others, it can be a sum too huge to bear. Fortunately, the government has in recent years implemented a new scheme which allows funeral expenses to be claimed from the deceased’s un-nominated CPF Monies as well as the deceased’s estate, up to a maximum amount of $6,000.
The claim can be made either by:
A beneficiary of the un-nominated CPF monies (beneficiary in accordance to the Intestate Succession Act) or;
A non-beneficiary (claim can then only be from the net worth of the deceased, also known as the estate).
The first case scenario allows the beneficiary paying for the funeral expenses to have a claim on the un-nominated CPF Monies before the remaining Monies would be distributed according to the ISA.
The claim is possible only if there are no objections raised by the other beneficiaries.
The second scenario might prove useful for those in Singapore who are single and do not have any close living relatives. Death has no timing and sometimes, it take us by surprise. In this case, a non-beneficiary could be a distant relative, an adopted family member or in extreme cases friends and even funeral parlours. A non-beneficiary could help arrange for a funeral without the worry of shouldering the entire sum since this amount would later be reimbursed.
To claim the funeral expenses, the first step would be to apply online, indicating the amount to be claimed. As with most reimbursement procedures, there are a few documents required by The Public Trustee Office before the funeral expenses would be reimbursed namely:
NRIC/Passport/Social Security Card/Election Card of the person claiming and the person who sent the online application form.
Deceased’s death certificate
The relevant certificate to show how the deceased is related to you
Orginal funeral reimbursement declaration form (Reimbursement from CPF Monies form and reimbursement from deceased’s Estate form)
Front page of your bank passbook/ bank statement clearly showing account number to be credited
Relevant receipts for funeral expenses (Necessary if claimant is not a beneficiary and receipts have to be directed to the person paying the expenses)
Do note that the original funeral reimbursement declaration form have to be posted and not faxed/emailed.
The address to post to would be: Public Trustee’s Office The URA Centre (East Wing) 45 Maxwell Road, #07-11 S(069118)
Applications would be reviewed and are subjected to approval from the The Public Trustee’s Office.
Wondering how long the claim would take? The general rule is that it would be paid within a month from the receipt of all the needed documents. Worried that $6,000 would be insufficient to cover the funeral expenses? Fret not as most casket companies provide packages amounting to a figure less than that.
As long as a simple yet dignified funeral is what you’re looking for, $6,000 would be more than enough. It is my hope that such information would be shared and made known to more people in Singapore so that it would benefit them.
