Clearly, time matters where disposition is concerned. Ideally, it’s carried out within days, and this is the timeline that traditional funerals have stuck with. Carrying out disposition quickly minimizes the effects of decomposition and helps families resolve their grief without delay.



The same timeline applies to direct cremation. In most cases, disposition through direct cremation can be handled within a week of death occurring. And most of this time is spent awaiting approval from the state, which is something the direct cremation company handles directly.

Here, we’ll break down the direct cremation process and how it progresses.

When a death occurs and the direct cremation service is notified, they’ll immediately send a recovery team to the place of death to retrieve the body. The recovery crew will only remove the body if death is officially declared by a physician. Once this is done, the recovery team will transport the body to the morgue.

From here, the body is kept refrigerated in the morgue until cremation is approved by the state. In the majority of cases this is within a week of the body being recovered. If additional time is needed, the remains may be kept in refrigeration for longer.

During this time, the direct cremation service will manage the approval process, helping loved ones fill out all necessary cremation forms and remaining in communication with the state. Again, this is what dictates the process’s timeline. During this step, direct cremation services can attain additional death certificates and provide them to the family.

Once approval is granted by the state, the remains are taken to the crematory and disposition takes place immediately. The direct cremation team remains at the crematory during disposition to retrieve the cremains and put them in a container.

As soon as the body is recovered, it’s tagged with a metal disc that identifies the decedent and remains with them throughout the process. It also survives the intense heat involved with cremation. This allows the direct cremation company to properly identify the ashes and ensure they are returned to the right family.



At this point, it’s up to the family how the cremains are received. They can be picked up at the service provider’s office, delivered (within a certain distance of the company’s office) or packaged and mailed.

Direct cremation’s exact timeline will depend on which option family members choose. It will take a bit longer to mail the cremains, compared to delivering or picking them up. The final timeline, then, is around a week (or a bit less) from death to disposition, plus the time it takes to deliver or mail the cremains.

Memorial services are a standard part of traditional funerals, but they aren’t included with direct cremation. There are several reasons for this, including:

• Reducing cost – This is the primary reason why direct cremation companies cut the memorial service out for their clients. A traditional funeral requires the use of a funeral home and its staff. For traditional disposition, these costs represent the bulk of traditional funeral expenses. By removing them, direct cremation companies can save their clients thousands of dollars.
• Simplifying disposition – Without a memorial service to plan around, disposition can proceed quickly and without difficulty. This is extremely important when the decedent is located far away from the rest of their family. By keeping disposition simple, direct cremation services can manage the process without family members having to be physically present. This isn’t the case for traditional funerals, which require family members to be present while arrangements are determined.
• Giving families additional flexibility – Every family responds to death in their own way, and every family has their own idea of how to memorialize a lost loved one. Direct cremation doesn’t confine families to a small set of memorial options to choose from, with most of the options being solemn and not individualized. Instead, families can choose to celebrate their loved one how they see fit, which can be both less expensive and more meaningful.
• Minimizing the disposition timeline – There’s no reason to delay disposition if it doesn’t have to be, and that includes moving through cremation as quickly as the state allows. This is easier to manage if there isn’t a memorial service to accommodate. For many families, it’s difficult to get closure and resolve grief until cremation is done. As soon as the decedent’s cremains are returned, that’s when healing begins for many people.

Direct cremation services have been developed in response to what people want from disposition, and what families want is a less expensive, more expedient choice. The process can typically be carried out within a week or less, allowing families to quickly pivot from disposition logistics to privately grieving together.