Guardianship and managing the affairs of another person
If a person becomes unable to manage their own affairs due to, for example, an illness or disability, a solution must be found for managing their affairs on their behalf. For example, the person's affairs can be managed by a family member with the help of Suomi.fi e-Authorizations or a continuing power of attorney. We will first introduce these alternatives for managing the affairs of another person, in other words, the lighter alternatives to guardianship. You can only apply for the appointment of a guardian if the other alternatives are not sufficient.
What are the options for managing the affairs of someone close to you?
A close relative or other trusted person can support another person in managing their financial affairs if the person's physical capacity has deteriorated but they understand the significance of the matter, for example. The trusted person can manage affairs that the person is unable to manage due to their limitations. For example, the person can understand the importance of paying their bills, is able to sign the occasional invoices that are not charged automatically, and can place them in payment service envelopes. The trusted person can then take the envelope and drop it in a mailbox.
In addition, a close relative or other trusted person may
- apply for pension or other benefits, if the person is unable to claim the benefit themselves or protect their related rights
- consent to the treatment of a patient who is unable to give their consent
- participate in the service planning process of a social welfare client when the client is unable to do so themselves or does not understand the proposed alternatives or their impacts.
New: at the Guardianship e-service you can make a property invertory, a final statement and apply for permits online. The e-service is available in Finnish and Swedish language.
It is possible to act on behalf of another person in services that have activated Suomi.fi e-Authorizations. Such services include Kela’s MyKanta and the Finnish Tax Administration’s MyTax. See the relevant service’s instructions or contact its customer service to find out whether it has activated Suomi.fi e-Authorizations.
If the person is able to write a power of attorney and understand its significance, they can write a power of attorney to authorise a designated person to handle a specific matter. A power of attorney can be used in various services, in bank transactions and for dealing with different authorities, for example.
A power of attorney
- must be prepared in writing
- is valid as soon as it has been written
- is valid until further notice, unless otherwise provided in the power of attorney.
Businesses and authorities (e.g. the Social Insurance Institution of Finland; Kela) may have their own templates for power of attorney. In such cases, we advise you to contact them directly.
The party you are dealing with will assess the acceptability of the power of attorney in the transaction situation. For example, banks may not accept a power of attorney if the functional capacity of the grantor of the power of attorney has deteriorated after the power of attorney has been granted.
The grantor of the power of attorney is responsible for supervising the activities of the person they have authorised.
You should discuss the ways in which bills could be paid with your own bank.
- E-invoices are a good option if you use online banking services. E-invoices can be automatically debited from the account (direct debiting). For regular payments, you can make a recurring payment order to your bank.
- Regular invoices can be paid by direct payment if online banking is not being used.
- Online banking codes often make it possible to pay bills by calling the bank’s customer service line.
- You may also be able to pay the bill at an R-kiosk, for example, if your bank’s offices are located far away.
You can give a trusted person access to your account if, for example, you find using the account challenging yourself. The authorisation is given at your own bank and will require the identification of the assignor. You should ask your own bank about its policies regarding this matter. The party entitled to use the account may be granted a card to the account, so they can withdraw money from the assignor's account or pay for purchases they make on behalf of the assignor.
You can anticipate your need for support and prepare a continuing power of attorney in case you later become unable to manage your affairs. The authorisation is recorded in a continuing power of attorney, in which you can name the person who will have the right to manage your affairs. You can also state how your affairs may be managed and specify how the assignee's activities are to be supervised. It is therefore a more flexible and lighter way of organising the management of your affairs for the future than appointing a guardian.
Watch our short video: Continuing power of attorney – when you want to decide for yourself
If you have prepared a continuing power of attorney, the assignee can ask for validation of their authorisation from us when you are no longer able to manage your own affairs.
A person’s pension or other benefits can be paid directly to the wellbeing services county if they are the person's only source of income/assets and
- the money is used to pay for the person’s rent or other equivalent housing costs. The rest is given to them as spending money. In this situation, the benefits cannot be paid directly to the person because it could endanger their own or their family's livelihood. Setting up an intermediate account like this can be requested from the social worker of the person’s wellbeing services county. The request must be made by the person themselves, their spouse, their other close relative or carer, or the relevant municipal body.
- the money is used to pay the monthly client fees related to the person’s institutional care. The rest is directed to the person’s own account.
A client can receive support for the independent management of their affairs at the care facility. The person can understand the matters, but cannot physically manage them. In this case, payments can be directly debited, for example.
Please also note:
A fully qualified adult can act on behalf of another adult in MyKanta if they have Suomi.fi e-Authorization for it.
Guardians and holders of a power of attorney can also use MyKanta on behalf of the person granting the e-Authorisation.
Different authorities have their own power of attorney templates and service channels that enable a trusted person to act on behalf of a person.
Read more about acting on behalf of another person from the websites of Kela and the Tax Administration, for example.
You cannot use someone else’s online banking codes as the codes are unique to each individual.
If you need to help a person close to you to manage their official matters electronically, the person in question can grant you the right to act on their behalf by using Suomi.fi e-Authorizations. A mandate granted via Suomi.fi e-Authorizations is an electronic power of attorney.
What if the above options are not sufficient?
The above options might not suffice if
- the person’s ability to manage their affairs or authorise another person is limited or prevented by their deteriorated health or comprehension or an accident
- the person does not have anyone supporting or helping them in their daily life
- the person is absent and unable to look after their own interests.
If the person in need of support has previously granted a continuing power of attorney, the assignee must apply for validation of their power of attorney from us when the person has become unable to manage their own affairs.
If the person has not written a continuing power of attorney, a guardian can be appointed to manage the affairs of the person. A guardian is only appointed if the person is unable to manage their own affairs due to a health issue and the affairs cannot be managed in any other way. Read more about guardianship and the duties of a guardian.
Read also
A Guide to Legal Foresight (in Finnish), Suomen muistiasiantuntijat ry
Plan your own life - take care of finances with care (in Finnish), Finanssiala
Website of the Omissa kässä campaign (information about the advocacy authorization and different service providers) (in Finnish)
Processing time
Permissions of the guardianship authority
-
1,5–3 months
Appointments of the guardianship
-
4–5 months
In case of an application being filed to the District Court, the processing time will be longer than stated above.
Annual statements
-
5–7 months
-
The audit of the 2022 annual statements is still in progress. Don't worry if you haven't gotten your audited statement back yet - you will get it as soon as we've verified it. We apologize for the delay.
Please note that the annual statement for 2023 must be completed on time, i.e. no later than 31 March 2024, even if you have not yet received the audited statement for the previous year. You can submit the annual statement and its attachments most easily using the online form.
Confirmation of a continuing power of attorney
- 2–3 months
Forms for guardianship
You can find all forms for guardianship and continuing power of attorney on our forms page (in Finnish).
Do you need help?
Telephone service: 0295 536 256
Service hours: Mon–Fri 9–15.
Our chat service is temporarily unavailable in English.
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