Funeral cover
Two failures look identical at a graveside: a policy that was never licensed, and one that quietly lapsed. Ten minutes now rules out both.
Two telephone calls settle it. Call the FSCA on 0800 110 443 to confirm the insurer is licensed. Call the insurer to confirm the policy is in force and the last premium was received. Then check your own bank statement for the debit order. Both checks are free, and together they take about ten minutes.
We raise this because of the conversations we have had. A family arrives to arrange a funeral, entirely confident there is cover, and we telephone the insurer on their behalf. Sometimes the policy lapsed eight months ago after a bank account changed. Occasionally there is no insurer at all — the money went to a scheme that was never licensed to sell anything.
Neither is discoverable at that moment, and neither is recoverable. Both are entirely preventable a year earlier.
Ask the seller for the full company name and the FSP number. A licensed insurer or intermediary will give you both without hesitation; they are usually printed on the policy schedule already.
Then verify them yourself, rather than trusting the document. Telephone the Financial Sector Conduct Authority on 0800 110 443, or use the public registers at fsca.co.za. Ask whether that entity is licensed, and whether it is authorised for funeral or life insurance business specifically. This is a free public service and you do not need a reason to use it.
If the answer is anything other than a clear yes, stop paying. There is no version of this in which it works out.
This is the check nobody thinks to do, and it is the one that fails more often.
Telephone your insurer with the policy number and ask two specific questions: “Is this policy currently in force?” and “When was the last premium received?” Write down the answers, the date and the consultant’s name.
Then verify it independently on your side: open your bank statement and find the debit order going out this month. If the insurer says the policy is active and no premium has left your account, something is wrong — and it is far better to find out now, in an office, than later, at a funeral home.
Do this once a year. Put it in the same week as some other annual task so it actually happens.
If a policy has lapsed, telephone the insurer and ask whether it can be reinstated and whether a fresh waiting period would apply. Many will reinstate. Ask before you cancel anything or start again elsewhere.
If you have been paying into an unlicensed scheme, stop, and report it to the FSCA on 0800 110 443. Recovering what you paid is difficult and frequently impossible, but the report protects the next family. Then arrange licensed cover, understanding that a waiting period will start afresh — which is exactly why doing this check early matters.
And if you would rather someone went through it with you, bring the policy to us or read it to us over the telephone. We will tell you what we see. We sell no policies and take no commission, so there is nothing in it for us but a family who is not caught out later.
Last reviewed August 2026. W. S. Engledoe & Sons is a funeral home, not a financial services provider. We do not sell funeral policies, earn commission on them or recommend one insurer over another. This is general information to help you read your own policy; it is not financial advice. Product terms change often, so confirm the current wording with your insurer before you act on it. FSCA contact details are published by the Authority and may change; confirm current details at fsca.co.za.
Frequently asked
Telephone the Financial Sector Conduct Authority on 0800 110 443, or use the public registers at fsca.co.za. Give them the company name and the FSP number you were quoted. The check is free and takes a few minutes.
Only your insurer can confirm that. Telephone them with the policy number and ask two questions: is this policy currently in force, and when was the last premium received? Then check your own bank statement for the debit order. Do both — they occasionally disagree.
It can be, provided the product is underwritten by a licensed insurer. Ask which insurer underwrites it and for the FSP number, and check it. We do not sell policies ourselves, which is why we can say this without any interest in the answer.
Stop paying and report it to the FSCA on 0800 110 443. Recovering past contributions is difficult and often impossible, but reporting it protects other families. Then arrange licensed cover, mindful that a fresh waiting period will apply.
Keep reading
The remaining questions are about size, choice and what happens at the time of need.
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Our family has read a great many funeral policies. Send us yours and we will explain the benefit, the waiting period and what your family would still have to fund — before you need it.