Please accept our sincere condolences on your loss!

Find out in advance whether you are in need of social assistance and are obliged to pay for the funeral so that you can apply to the Social Welfare Office to have the funeral costs covered.

Note
You can apply to have the funeral costs covered only if you are in need of social assistance and are obliged to pay for the funeral.

You can reach us Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on + 49 (0)211 355 989-60 or + 49 (0)211 355 989-54 or by email: sozialamt@adeltafinanz.com

As soon as you contact us, we will send you a letter with further instructions, which we will explain in more detail on the following pages.
Note: If you wish, we can also arrange payment by instalments with a term of up to 36 months

To obtain a 90-day payment extension from the invoice date, we need the following documents and information from you:

• A signed declaration of release from the obligation of confidentiality
• Confirmation of receipt of the application for payment of funeral costs from the Social Welfare Office
• The name and telephone number of your contact at the Social Welfare Office

Submit these documents to us within 14 days by email, letter or fax

You will receive the declaration of release from the obligation of confidentiality as an attachment to our letter if you have not already signed it for your funeral director

The Social Welfare Office cannot provide us with information about the current status of your case unless you have signed the release from the obligation of confidentiality.

If necessary, we will also contact the Social Welfare Office directly for you

Make an appointment as soon as possible with the relevant Social Welfare Office. The Social Welfare Office responsible is:

• The Social Welfare Office from which the deceased claimed his or her last social benefits
• Or the social welfare office at the place of death; see the death certificate for this

First clarify the following with your Social Welfare Office:

• Who (which relatives) must submit the application for payment of the funeral costs?
• Who is dealing with your case?
• What is the procedure for applying for payment of funeral costs?
• What documents do you need to submit?
• What costs are covered?

When submitting your application, ask the person dealing with your case to provide you with confirmation of receipt of the application for payment of funeral costs from the Social Welfare Office and send it to us by the aforementioned deadline to our email address: sozialamt@adeltafinanz.com or to P.O. Box 10 12 43, 40477 Düsseldorf

Check the status of your application at regular intervals and keep us informed

Note: We do not consider your outstanding bill to have been settled until the funeral has been paid for in full

Use the following links to find out if you can apply for benefits from the Social Welfare Office:

• Section 74 SGB Book 12 (gesetze-im-internet.de)
• Section 9 SGB 12 (gesetze-im-internet.de)

You can find out whether you are liable for funeral costs here

• Section 31 Funeral Act – Persons liable for funeral costs – dejure.org
• Section 30 Funeral Act – Funeral obligation – dejure.org
• Section 1968 of the German Civil Code (BGB) (gesetze-im-internet.de)
• Section 1615 BGB (gesetze-im-internet.de)

• The application must be submitted in full, with all supporting documents, to the relevant Social Welfare Office of the municipal or local authority
• The applicant(s) is/are required to provide information about the nature and amount of their income and assets
• The application can only be processed if it is completed in full and accompanied by the applicant’s supporting documents.
• The applicant(s) should specify, if possible, all persons responsible for the funeral in accordance with the German Funeral Act (e.g. spouse, children, parents, siblings, grandchildren, grandparents and partners in a permanent civil partnership).
• The person(s) responsible for the funeral is/are obliged to cooperate in accordance with Section 60 of the German Social Code (SGB) Book 1. According to Section 66 SGB Book 1, the social welfare provider may refuse benefits if you do not comply with your obligation to cooperate.