Can I Deduct Funeral Expenses?

Losing someone you love is hard enough without worrying about the financial burden of funeral costs, but unfortunately the IRS does not offer much help here. Funeral and burial expenses are not deductible on a personal tax return. However, if the deceased person had an estate that is large enough to require an estate tax return, the funeral costs can be deducted on that estate tax return. For the vast majority of estates that fall below the federal estate tax threshold, this distinction does not come into play. There is no personal income tax deduction available for funeral expenses regardless of how much they cost.