Adding a Year
Just the four digits of passing.
TypicalCarving "2026"
4 digits≈ $360
When the headstone already has the name and the first date carved, and you need the second year added. The most common cemetery lettering job.
Learn more →Cemetery Lettering · Adding a Year
Adding a year to an existing headstone.
The most common cemetery lettering job. When a husband or wife passes and the stone is already laid out for the second date, we add the four digits. One on site visit, often finished the same day.
$300+$15per letter
Typical · Carving "2026"4 digits × $15 + $300≈ $360
- On site work in the cemetery
- Font, depth, and finish matched
- Single visit completion in most cases
- Cemetery permit handled if applicable
- Same day photo of finished work
Free. No obligation. Reply within 24 hours.
What's Involved
Four digits, cut to match the rest of the stone.
When most New England headstones were cut, the stonemason carved both spouses' names and the first spouse's death year, leaving a blank space; usually with a hyphen already in place; for the second date. The whole stone was designed around that blank space. Decades later, when that second date is needed, the job is simply to fill in what was always going to go there.
The numbers on the stone; the first date, the birth year; are our template. Same font. Same height. Same depth. Same finish. The new year should look like it had been part of the stone the whole time. On most jobs, we can finish the carving in a single cemetery visit.
The pricing follows the same formula we use for every cemetery lettering job: $300 plus $15 per character. The $300 is what it costs us to give your stone our full attention; driving to the cemetery, reading the existing carving, matching the font. The $15 per character is the carving itself. For a four digit year, that comes to $360 total.
JOHN P. SMITH1948; _____
→
JOHN P. SMITH1948; 2026
Four characters. $360. One visit.
The Process
Three steps. The simplest job we do.
- 1
You send us a photo
Use our quote form to add a photo and send your request. One clear phone photo showing the stone and the blank space. Tell us the year. Tell us the cemetery.
2 minutes - 2
We send a written quote
Within 24 hours. $360 in most cases, with the cemetery permit (if any) disclosed as a pass through. We file any required permit on your behalf.
24 hours - 3
We carve on site and send the photo
One cemetery visit. The stone never moves. Same day photo emailed to you when the carving is done.
3 to 5 weeks out
Common Questions
What families ask us most.
- How much does it cost to add a date to an existing headstone?
- At The Stonesmith, adding a year (sometimes called adding a date) follows our standard formula: $300 plus $15 per letter. A four digit year comes to $360 total ($300 + 4 × $15). If a hyphen or dash is also missing and needs to be carved, that's one more character; $375 total. We send the exact number in your written quote within 24 hours of receiving your photo.
- Why is adding a year so common?
- When the first spouse passes, most families have the stone carved with both names; the surviving spouse's name and birth year already cut in, with a dash and a blank space ready for the death year to be added later. Decades may pass before that second date is needed. When it is, the job is simple: we add the four digits to the space that was always meant to hold them.
- Does the stone need to be moved?
- No. Adding a year is always done on site, in the cemetery, with the stone staying exactly where it is. We bring portable engraving equipment to the grave and finish the work in a single visit.
- Will the new digits match the old ones?
- Yes. The numbers already carved on the stone; the first date, the birth year of the surviving spouse; are our template. We match the same font, the same character height, the same carving depth, and the same finish. The new year should look as if it had been cut in the day the stone was first set.
- What if the layout doesn't have a blank space for the date?
- Sometimes a stone was carved without leaving space for a second date; particularly older stones or stones bought after both spouses had passed and only one date was carved. In those cases, the job is slightly more involved because we need to find or create the layout for the new date. We'll see this in your photo and tell you in the quote.
- How long does it take?
- Six weeks from order, April through October, weather permitting. Off season orders are scheduled in writing for the first spring window.
Our Services & Pricing
A clear price for the work you need.
Lettering is $300 plus $15 per letter. Cleaning is $450 per stone. Restoration is custom quoted after we review your photos.
Lettering
$300 + $15 per letterAdding a Name
A new name and dates next to the original.
TypicalAn example inscription with 25 carved characters
25 carved characters≈ $675
When a spouse passes and the full new inscription, including the name and both dates, needs to be added to the stone that's already in the cemetery.
Learn more →Full Inscription
A complete new carving from scratch.
TypicalA full layout with epitaph and symbol
~50 letters≈ $1,050
For a stone with no existing inscription, or where the whole inscription is being designed from scratch. Names, dates, an epitaph, religious or memorial symbols.
Learn more →Stone Care
Restoration by custom quote · Cleaning $450 per stoneRestoration
Care for weathered stones and inscriptions.
Custom quoteStart with a photo of your stone
Quoted for the work your stone needsCustom quote
Every restoration is different. Send a photo so we can assess the condition, discuss the work, and prepare a custom quote.
Learn more →Headstone Cleaning
Lichen, moss, weathering removed.
PriceOne stone, one visit
$450 flat, per stone$450
A dedicated cleaning visit at the cemetery, with the approach chosen for the stone's material and condition.
Learn more →For lettering, a panel extension to create additional space on the stone costs extra. Cemetery permit fees, if your cemetery requires one, are passed through at the cemetery's actual cost (typically $50 through $200) and disclosed in writing on your quote before any work begins.
One photo. One date. One visit.
Send us a photo of the stone, tell us the year to carve, and we'll send a written quote within a day.
Get a Written Quote