Funeral directors have expressed concerns about plans to introduce a €100 charge per death notice on the RIP.ie website.
The online funeral information service was bought by the Irish Times Group for an undisclosed fee earlier this year and has become one of Ireland's most popular websites with 3.3 million users last month.
In a letter, seen by RTÉ's Drivetime, client funeral directors across Ireland who upload family announcements have been been informed of a €100 charge on all notices with effect from 1 January.
Previously, death notices had been free of charge with undertakers paying optional fees for extra advertising on the site.
The Irish Association of Funeral Directors (IAFD) has written to the Irish Times Group seeking clarity on the new fee as well as raising questions about other concerns.
A spokesperson said: "When suppliers set prices beyond the control of the IAFD, which could affect our members and their clients, the association strives to voice any concerns on their behalf, as we aim to promote best practice and deliver value to both our members and their clients."
John Mark Griffin, Managing Director of Griffin’s Funeral Home in Limerick city and PRO of the IAFD told Drivetime that members are "seeking clarity around the costings" as there is some "vagueness" around the announcement as to whether the fee includes VAT or not.
Funeral directors want to be fully informed before letting bereaved families know exactly what the cost of RIP notices will be, said Mr Griffin.
He also raised questions about commercial content on the site which he said "had always been very tasteful" in the past, expressing the hope that future advertisements on the site "would continue in the same vein" and that the "same level of service will continue" for bereaved families, funeral directors and those looking up death notices online.
"Funerals are a sensitive business" said Galway funeral director Joe Grogan who told Drivetime "you don't want to be seeing ads or pop-ups that have nothing to do with funerals".
When RIP.ie was set up, he said "it was more of a personal family business" but you see it is more "revenue driven now".
The Tuam-based undertaker described the move from zero cost to €100 per death notice as "excessive" and said "the hit was too big" just months after the Irish Times acquisition in May.
"It's something that we can't absorb ourselves," said Mr Grogan, who expects that other funeral directors will pass on the cost to bereaved families, and may add on administration fees.
However, he acknowledged significantly higher costs for similar family announcements in national newspapers and local radio stations.
He also questioned whether further price hikes are likely in future and what extra services will be offered to reflect these costs.
A spokesperson for RIP.ie said the fees would "support the development and enhancement" of the RIP.ie service.
"Investing in our service will ensure that RIP.ie remains a trusted resource for bereaved families across Ireland and for the hundreds of thousands of people who post messages of condolence to those families on the site every week," they said.
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"The platform, which operates seven days a week, also ensures people can find key information about funerals and funeral-related services.
"Having engaged with funeral directors and others involved in the sector, we believe the new fee structure offers fair and good value for money.
"We have no plans to introduce a charge to users of the site.
"RIP.ie remains committed to offering an excellent service and a secure platform where bereaved families can be supported in commemorating their loved ones."
Regarding questions about the sensitive nature of advertising content on the site, the spokesperson said that "all adverts on the site are checked to ensure they are relevant and appropriate for RIP.ie"
Labour TD Conor Sheehan said it is "horrendous to see the owners of RIP.ie seeking to profit off of death announcements"
In a statement, the Limerick TD said: "Charging people €100 to post a death notice is wrong."
He added: "RIP.ie has become a crucial community tool for people up and down this country, and I am calling on the Irish Times to reverse this decision.
"While the fee will be for funeral directors, it ultimately will be passed on to a grieving family.
"The announcement of a loved one’s death should not be on the basis of financial means."
