Somewhere in your mother's house, or in a file at a funeral home, there may be a pre-need contract she signed some time ago. You might not know it exists until someone asks for it. This guide is for checking that paper from 500 miles away, while nobody is in a hurry.
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Find the contract and its parties
Ask for the full signed contract, not a summary card or a receipt. Read the names. Check who the buyer is, who the beneficiary is, and which funeral home or company is the seller. If the seller is a parent company, or a business that has changed hands, write down the name on the paper and the name on the sign out front. If they do not match, that gap matters later.
Check how the money is held
Pre-need money is often placed in a trust or with an insurance policy, and the contract should say which one. Look for the name of the trustee or insurer, and whether the contract says the listed prices are locked or can rise. Ask the funeral home in writing where the money sits and how you can confirm the balance yourself. Do not rely on a phone answer alone.
Read the transfer and cancel terms
Two clauses decide most of the trouble later. The transfer clause says what happens if she moves to another city, if the funeral home closes, or if the business is sold. The cancellation clause says who can end the contract, how notice has to be given, and where any refund goes. Find both paragraphs by their headings. If you cannot find them, ask the funeral home for copies and keep your own.
Compare the list to the general price list
Ask the funeral home for its general price list, which it must provide when someone asks for it in person. Hold it beside the contract and match each item on the contract to a line on the list: the casket or container, the basic service fee, transportation, cemetery or crematory charges, and any merchandise. Mark anything the contract calls included that the list shows as a separate charge, and ask why the two do not agree.
Who can change it
Find out who can update the contract if your mother's wishes change. Look for the name of the person who can make changes, and whether another family member can contact the funeral home on her behalf. If she cannot manage that herself, ask the funeral home what it requires and whose instructions it will accept. Get that answer in writing.
What to do tonight
Find the folder. Photograph every page of the contract, including the back and any attachments. Write down the funeral home's name, its phone number, and the name of the person who signed. Email the photos to yourself so a copy exists outside the house. Then send one email to the funeral home asking for a full copy of the contract, the general price list, the name of the trust or policy holding the money, and the transfer and cancellation terms in writing.
What to leave with the doctor
Nothing on this page is a medical question. If you wonder whether she can still follow a contract or understand what she signed, that is a question for her doctor, and you can ask the doctor to write down what they observed. Do not ask the doctor to decide whether she should sign or change anything. The public sources behind these steps are listed on the Sources page.