Funeral home software for Australian funerals, from transfer to certificate
Rules for registering a death, quoting and pre-paid funerals change at each state border. Kindred holds every funeral on one shared case, from the transfer into care to the death certificate, with checklists set up for the jurisdiction you work in.
Now welcoming funeral homes in Australia
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The transfer into careBringing the person into your care from wherever they died
Where it lives in Kindred: First callA new case starts with the call, and who rang, where the person is and the next of kin are recorded once. -
The Medical Certificate Cause of DeathCompleted by the doctor, or replaced by coronial paperwork when a coroner is involved
Where it lives in Kindred: Case documentsKeep the signed MCCD, or the coroner's orders, on the case where any arranger can find it. -
The arrangement and the quoteVictoria and NSW each set out what a funeral quote has to show, disbursements included
Where it lives in Kindred: Services and price listYour own services, packages and disbursements build the quote, which is a document filled from the case. -
The celebrant or ministerOften an independent civil celebrant, who writes and leads the ceremony
Where it lives in Kindred: Officiant on the eventName the celebrant, minister or family speaker on the service, beside its date, time and venue.
Kindred's screens keep their own names. These are your steps, matched to where they're handled.
The rest of the work, matched the same way
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The funeral noticeOptional, placed when the family wants the service details made public
Where it lives in Kindred: Notices on your websiteDraft the notice from what is already on the case and publish it to your funeral home's own site. -
Cemetery or crematorium bookingMade by the funeral director for the burial or cremation
Where it lives in Kindred: Events in orderThe service, any viewing and the committal sit in sequence on the case, each with the staff rostered to it. -
Registering the deathLodged with your state or territory's registry, in Victoria within seven days of the burial or cremation
Where it lives in Kindred: Registration checklistAn open checklist item marks every case still to be lodged. The lodgement itself is made through the registry, as today. -
The death certificateIssued by the registry after registration, and often ordered for the family by the director
Where it lives in Kindred: Follow-up tasksA task after the funeral reminds your team to order the certificate and check in with the family.
How funeral homes work in Australia
Your state or territory sets the rules
Australia has no single funeral rulebook. Each state and territory runs its own Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, with its own forms, portal and deadline. In Victoria the funeral director notifies the Registrar within seven days of disposal; in New South Wales the director lodges through the Registry's eRegistry, matching the doctor's certificate with the Death Registration Statement.
Licensing differs as well. Western Australia requires a Funeral Director's Licence for each cemetery, while New South Wales issues licences to cemetery and crematorium operators rather than funeral directors. Victoria and NSW both say what a quotation must itemise, so price lists and quotes carry real weight.
A week of preparation, and the care it takes
A funeral is usually arranged after the doctor's certificate is in hand, and is often held five to ten days after the death, and later when a coroner is involved. Muslim families look for burial as soon as possible, so some arrangements move far faster. Where a celebrant leads the ceremony, the roles are separate: the funeral director runs the transfers, bookings and registry work, and the celebrant shapes the ceremony.
For Aboriginal families, the time frame for Sorry Business is set by the family, and many communities no longer speak the name or show images of the person who has died, so neither should be used without the family's permission. Torres Strait Islander families may hold a headstone unveiling long after the funeral.
Pre-paid funerals and the profession
Pre-paid funerals are regulated state by state. NSW requires funeral funds to be registered with NSW Fair Trading, and Queensland calls its pre-payment contracts funeral benefit agreements, each with a cooling-off period. Funeral insurance is regulated nationally by ASIC instead.
There is no national regulator for funeral directors. Membership of Funerals Australia, the peak body formerly known as the Australian Funeral Directors Association, is voluntary, as is the Funeral Celebrants Association Australia for celebrants.
Shaped around your funeral home
No two funeral homes run the same way, and Kindred isn't asking you to change yours. It is configured around how you already work.
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Your workflow and checklists
Case steps and checklists are set up to match your process, not a one-size template.
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Your forms and documents
The paperwork you use is built as forms and document templates that fill from the case, so details are entered once.
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Your services and prices
Your own services, packages and price list, the way you present them to families.
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Each location, its own way
One funeral home or several: tailor each location while keeping the whole business consistent.
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Your name on everything families see
The family portal and your website carry your funeral home's brand, not ours.
Ready today, wherever you are
- Unlimited users and locationsYour whole team signs in. Pricing follows your case volume, not your headcount.
- English or Spanish, per personEach staff member chooses the language of Kindred, and each family can receive the portal in English or Spanish.
- In the cloud, backed upUse it from any device with encrypted data and automated backups. No servers at the funeral home.
- Families sign from homeSend contracts and authorisations for electronic signature.
- Your website and noticesKindred can design and host your website, or publish notices to the one you already have.
What we'll work out together
Kindred accounts run in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom today. For funeral homes in Australia, local currency, tax and the paperwork you file are part of the setup conversation, and we'll tell you plainly what's ready and what isn't.
Questions from funeral homes in Australia
Is Kindred available to funeral homes in Australia?
Yes, Kindred is now welcoming Australian funeral homes. It runs in a web browser on any device, so there is no software to install and no server to look after. The first step is a conversation about your jurisdiction and the way your team works.
What about Australian dollars, GST and our state's paperwork?
Today, Kindred accounts run in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Pricing in Australian dollars, GST and the forms your state or territory uses are part of setting up your account, and we will be plain with you about what is ready now and what is not.
Does Kindred lodge death registrations with the registry?
No. Lodgement stays in each registry's own system, such as eRegistry in NSW or the partner portal in Victoria. Kindred keeps the details you need in one place and a checklist item open until the registration is done.
We work across state lines. Can Kindred cope with different rules?
Each location can be tailored with its own checklists, forms and documents, while the business keeps one set of cases, reporting and price lists.
Does Kindred hold or manage pre-paid funeral funds?
No. Pre-paid money stays with the registered fund, trustee or provider that holds it today. Kindred can record a pre-paid plan's details on the case so your arrangers know it is there when the family calls.
Who stands behind Kindred?
The Larkin family, who have served families at Larkin Mortuary in the United States for more than 140 years. They build and own Kindred themselves, and support comes from people who know funeral service.
Tell us how your funeral home works
A person from the Kindred team will reply, usually within one working day, with no obligation.
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