Help & FAQ

1. Getting Started

Creating an Account

Before you can submit an obituary you'll need a free account. Click Sign In at the top of any page, then choose Register. You'll be asked for:

• Your name and email address
• A password (at least 8 characters)
• Your phone number
• Whether you're submitting as a Family Member or a Funeral Home
• Your funeral home or organization name (if applicable)

Signing In

Go to the Sign In page, enter your email and password, and click Sign In. Check Remember Me if you'd like to stay logged in on this device.

Forgot Your Password?

Click Forgot Password on the Sign In page and enter your email address. We'll send you a reset link. That link is good for 2 hours — if it expires, just request another one.

2. Creating Your Obituary — Step by Step

Once you're signed in, click the home icon or visit the main page to begin. The process walks you through these steps:

1. Choose your entry type

   Pick either a Full Obituary (rich text, photo option, priced by column inch) or a Death Notice (brief announcement, flat $20 fee). See Section 3 for the differences.

2. Write the obituary

   Type or paste your text directly, or let the AI Writing Assistant draft it for you. See Section 4 for details on the AI options.

3. Add a photo (optional)

   Upload a photo and use the built-in cropping tool to frame it. Or check No Photo to skip this step entirely.

4. Choose your newspapers and dates

   Select one or more papers and pick a publication date for each. You'll get a 20% discount on each additional paper beyond the first.

5. Preview and pay

   Review a PDF proof of exactly how the obituary will look in print. The full price is shown here — no surprises. When you're ready, click Proceed to Payment.

3. Death Notices vs. Full Obituaries

Not sure which to choose? Here's a quick comparison:

4. The AI Writing Assistant

Writing about a loved one can be hard. Our AI writing assistant (powered by Anthropic's Claude) can help you get started — it's completely optional and included at no extra charge.

Write It For Me

Choose AI-Assisted at the start and fill in a short form — name, dates, family, career, hobbies, and anything else you'd like to mention. The AI will write a complete, polished draft based on your details. You can then edit it freely before it's published.

Improve My Draft

Already have something written? Choose AI Improve, paste in your draft, and the AI will refine the wording and flow. You'll see a side-by-side before-and-after — keep the improved version, go back to your original, or edit both together.

Death Notice (Auto-Format)

For a Death Notice, just fill in the five required fields and we handle the formatting automatically — no AI or writing needed.

5. Adding a Photo

A photo is entirely optional. If you'd prefer not to include one, simply check the No Photo box and move on.

Accepted Formats

• JPG, PNG, or GIF
• Maximum file size: 16 MB
• Recommended minimum: 300 × 300 pixels for acceptable print quality

Cropping Tool

After uploading, a built-in cropping tool lets you choose exactly which part of the photo to use. You can re-crop at any time before paying — just go back to the photo step.

6. Choosing Newspapers & Dates

You can publish in one newspaper or several at once. Each paper gets its own publication date — useful when a family wants the obituary to run in their hometown paper and a neighboring community's paper on different days.

• Check the box next to each paper you'd like to use
• Select a publication date from the calendar for each paper
• The calendar only shows dates that are still before that paper's deadline
• You get a 20% discount on every paper after the first

7. Understanding Your Price

What Is a Column Inch?

Newspapers charge for print space. A column inch is one inch of vertical space in a single newspaper column. A longer obituary takes up more column inches — and costs more. A shorter one costs less. We calculate this automatically when you reach the preview screen, so you'll always know the exact price before paying.

Full Obituary Pricing

• $9.00 per column inch for the first newspaper
• 20% discount (so $7.20/inch) for each additional newspaper

Death Notice Pricing

• $20.00 flat for the first newspaper
• $16.00 flat for each additional newspaper (20% discount)

8. Payment

When you click Proceed to Payment on the preview screen, you'll be taken to a secure checkout page hosted by Stripe — one of the most trusted payment processors in the world. We never see or store your card number.

• Accepts Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover
• Apple Pay and Google Pay supported on compatible devices
• After payment, you'll be returned to Place Obituaries automatically

A confirmation email with your receipt is sent to your email address immediately after payment. Save it for your records.

9. After You Pay

Once payment is received, your obituary moves through the following stages. You can check the current status anytime under My Submissions.

1. Paid

   We've received your payment and your obituary is in the queue.

2. Under Review

   Our staff checks the content before it goes to print. This typically takes one business day.

3. Approved

   Confirmed and scheduled for the publication date you chose.

4. Published

   Your obituary has run in the newspaper. You'll receive a notification email when this happens.

10. Family vs. Funeral Home Accounts

There are two account types. Both work the same way — the difference is mainly how you're identified and what information you provide at sign-up.

11. Common Questions