Frequently Asked Questions

If your loved one has already passed away, you may begin arrangements online or call Honest Cremation for assistance.

If the death occurs at a hospital, nursing facility, hospice facility, or other medical setting, the staff will generally guide you through the immediate steps and coordinate the release of your loved one.

If a death occurs at home while your loved one is under hospice care, follow the instructions provided by the hospice team. If the death is unexpected and your loved one is not under hospice care, contact 911.

You do not have to wait until the death occurs to begin gathering information or reviewing your options.

If your loved one is still living—even when death is expected very soon—you may select Planning Ahead when beginning online. Once the death occurs, the medical or hospice team will complete the appropriate pronouncement and Honest Cremation can then coordinate bringing your loved one into our care.

Our online options offer the full price of our services. Our mission is to remain transparent with our pricing while still providing your family the care and compassion you need from a professional service. If you have any questions please Contact Us. We are happy to help you during this time. 

Some charges depend on the circumstances or selections involved. Examples include transportation outside the included service area, additional crematory fees based on weight, certified death certificates, expedited processing, identification services, and merchandise upgrades.

Applicable charges are displayed during arrangements before selections are finalized.

Our three cremation packages currently begin at:

Basic — $875

Priority — $1,095

Premium — $1,525

The Priority and Premium packages already include the required cremation permit and one certified Texas death certificate.

The Basic package requires a $35 cremation permit and at least one certified Texas death certificate at $21, making the typical minimum Basic arrangement $931 before any other applicable charges or optional selections.

The right package depends primarily on where your loved one is located, how quickly you would like the cremation scheduled, the amount of personal assistance you want, and the additional services or merchandise that matter to your family.

Basic is designed for the simplest arrangements involving transfer from a hospital, inpatient hospice facility, or Medical Examiner's Office within Dallas or Tarrant County.

Priority is our most popular option and accommodates transfers from residences, nursing homes, group homes, hospice units, and other qualifying facilities within Dallas or Tarrant County. It also provides faster scheduling, a dedicated arrangement specialist by phone, an upgraded urn, and other practical benefits.

Premium provides our highest level of service, faster scheduling, greater arrangement flexibility, an upgraded permanent urn, shipping of the cremated remains, veteran assistance when eligible, and access to additional options such as a Private Identification Viewing.

Transfers from a private residence, nursing home, group home, or similar location generally require additional personnel, coordination, and equipment compared with transfers from hospitals and other facilities designed to assist funeral home personnel.

For that reason, these transfers begin with the Priority package.

Dallas and Tarrant Counties are our primary service area.

Transportation is also available from the contiguous counties currently served by Honest Cremation: Collin, Denton, Ellis, Hood, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker, Rockwall, Somervell, and Wise Counties. An additional transportation charge may apply depending on the location and package selected.

We try to make those charges clear before you complete your arrangements.

Depending on your circumstances and selections, additional charges may include certified death certificates, transportation outside the package's included area, weight-related crematory fees, expedited death certificate processing, upgraded cremation containers or urns, keepsakes, shipping, or other optional services.

You will be able to review your selections and total before placing your order.

Individuals over 250 pounds may require additional personnel and specialized equipment when being transferred into our care, as well as adjustments to the cremation process itself.

The additional fee helps provide the appropriate number of care team members, equipment, and additional cremation time needed to provide safe and dignified care.

Cremation is the process of using intense heat to reduce the body to bone fragments. After the cremation is completed, the remaining bone fragments are carefully processed into the material commonly referred to as "ashes," although funeral professionals generally use the term cremated remains.

Cremation itself is only one part of the process. Before cremation can occur, required authorizations, permits, identification procedures, and other documents must be completed.

The total time from the date Honest Cremation receives your loved one into our care until the cremation is completed depends on the package selected, required documentation, medical certification, authorizations, and scheduling.

Our current estimated scheduling is:

Basic: approximately 14–20 days

Priority: approximately 10–14 days

Premium: approximately 8–10 days

These are estimates rather than guaranteed completion dates.

Identification is maintained throughout the process.

Texas law requires identification procedures at both the funeral establishment and crematory, including positive identification before cremation and an identifying item placed with the cremated remains afterward.

At Honest Cremation, our standards exceed state requirements. We have a well developed 11-step identification system using state of the art barcoding technology. Our "Care, Custody, and Control" measures are in place to safeguard your loved on and ensure our team can safely return their cremated remains to you. 

Honest Cremation also digitally fingerprints every person who comes into our care as an additional identification safeguard.

A Private Identification Viewing is available as an optional service with the Premium package for $690.

The viewing includes a scheduled 30-minute identification at our Fort Worth crematory for up to five people. It is available Monday through Friday and must be completed within 96 hours of your loved one being transferred into our care.

All identification viewings are subject to scheduling, availability, and the funeral director's assessment. If illness, trauma, decomposition, an autopsy, or another circumstance may affect the viewing, a funeral director will first determine whether the viewing can appropriately take place and whether additional care may be needed.

The type of container to hold your loved one's cremated remains depends on the package you select. Basic includes a temporary urn, Priority includes a Simplicity Scattering Urn, and Premium provides an allowance toward a permanent urn with standard engraving.

You may also choose from additional urns and keepsakes during the online arrangement process.

This will depend on the arrangements you make with Honest Cremation and the package you select.

Basic provides scheduled pickup at our Fort Worth crematory. Priority allows scheduled pickup at our Dallas or Fort Worth office. Premium includes the choice of scheduled pickup or USPS Priority Mail Express shipping to one domestic address with tracking.

There are many choices. Cremated remains may be kept at home, placed in a cemetery or columbarium, buried, incorporated into certain memorial items, or scattered in a meaningful location.

If you plan to scatter cremated remains somewhere you do not personally own, check the rules of the property owner or governing agency first. Regulations may vary depending on the location. Most common would be burial, placement in a columbarium, keeping an urn at home, or scattering of the cremated remains.

There is no single correct number for every family.

Certified death certificates may be needed for financial accounts, insurance claims, property, investments, titles, benefits, or other legal and financial matters. Before ordering a large number, consider consulting with an Honest Cremation professional and any legal representation you may have.

Additional certified Texas death certificates ordered with the initial order are currently $4 each after the first certified copy.

Our standard estimated processing time is approximately 4–6 weeks.

For eligible deaths in Dallas or Tarrant County, optional expedited processing may also be available:

State expedited processing: approximately 3–4 weeks

Local in-person expedited processing: approximately 5–14 business days

These are estimated processing times and may be affected by the certifying physician, Medical Examiner, Texas Vital Records, holidays, weather emergencies, or other circumstances outside the funeral home's control.

Yes. Notification of the Social Security Administration is included with every Honest Cremation package.

Families should still contact Social Security directly if they have questions regarding survivor benefits, payments, or eligibility.

Texas law establishes an order of priority for the person who has the right to control disposition of the remains. Generally, that begins with a person specifically designated by the decedent in a valid written instrument, followed by the surviving spouse, an adult child, a parent, an adult sibling, and then certain estate representatives or other next of kin.

Family circumstances are not always simple. If there is a disagreement, an unavailable or incapacitated family member, questions involving a power of attorney or written appointment, or uncertainty about who may legally authorize cremation, an Honest Cremation funeral director will review the circumstances with you rather than asking you to determine the answer yourself.

Absolutely. A friend, caregiver, extended family member, clergy member, or other trusted person may call us, gather information, ask questions, and help the family navigate the process.

However, certain legal decisions and cremation authorizations must ultimately be completed by the person who has the legal authority to act. If you are helping someone else make arrangements, we will let you know when we need to speak directly with the authorized person.

Please tell us as soon as possible.

Texas law addresses who has the right to control disposition, and disputes involving that authority sometimes require additional documentation or legal resolution. Honest Cremation will not ask a family member—or Jane, our virtual assistant —to make a legal determination that should be reviewed by a funeral director.

Yes. Veteran honors, burial flag assistance, and national cemetery coordination are included with the Premium package when the individual is eligible.

Military discharge documentation, such as an honorable DD-214 or other acceptable service documentation, may be needed to verify eligibility and coordinate benefits.

Yes. Advance preplanning is available with the Premium package.

Preplanning allows you to make your own selections ahead of time, document your wishes, and reduce the number of decisions your family may need to make later.

Call Honest Cremation at 817-826-9971.

Jane can answer many common questions and help you navigate the online arrangement system at any time. When your question requires the judgment of a funeral director or involves unusual legal, medical, identification, or family circumstances, our team will help determine the appropriate next step.