Opening a limited account or the management of the earnings of a client with diminished capacity

This page contains information on what you as a guardian should take into account when planning the placing of your client’s funds in a limited account, in the implementation of changes to a limited account or when taking up the management of the earnings of a client with diminished capacity.

A limited account refers to an account from which funds can only be withdrawn or transferred with the permission of the guardianship authority. If you as a guardian want to place your client’s funds in limited account, your will need permission from the guardianship authority to do so. When funds have been placed in the limited account, you will need permission for the withdrawal of funds from the account or for changing the terms and conditions of the account.

If you have placed your client’s funds in a limited account, the guardianship authority can extend the accounting period for the annual statement or grant an exemption from submitting an annual account.

If you are the guardian of a client with diminished capacity and you observe that you should take on the management of your client’s earnings to ensure the best interest of your client, you will need a permit to do so. A client with diminished capacity refers to a minor or an adult, who has been declared incompetent. However, you must ensure that your client has free access to a sufficient amount of funds.

This is what to do

  • Fill in the application for a limited account and submit it and its attachments to the Digital and Population Data Services Agency via email, by post or by taking them personally to the application’s service location. 

Application

  • The processing of your permit application will be faster if you submit all the necessary attachments at the same time with your application. Where necessary, we will ask you for supplementary data.
  • We will send any request for supplementary data electronically to the Suomi.fi Messages service or via email, by post as a letter or by phone.

Required documents

Attachments that will be required for opening a limited account, for the withdrawal of funds from the account or for changing the terms and conditions of the limited account include

  • an account agreement and a receipt on the transfer of funds to the limited account
  • Agreement on changes to the terms and conditions of the account
  • Statement on the use of withdrawn funds
  • If your client is a minor aged 15 or over or an adult whose functional capacity is not limited and they understand the significance of the matter, attach the client’s written opinion on the action to the application.

The required attachments for an application to manage the earnings of a clients with diminished capacity.

  • Certificate of wages
  • Information on the client’s other monthly income and expenditure
  • The client’s written opinion, if they understand the significance of the matter.

Price

A permit decision costs EUR 184. 

Processing period

The average processing time is two months. As a rule, cases are processed in their order of arrival. In individual cases, the processing time may be less or more than this depending on the size and complexity of the matter. Processing times are longer when not all necessary reports have been included as attachments to the application.

Check list

  • Consider whether the planned action will benefit your client.
  • Discuss the matter with your client and find out their opinion, if the client is able to understand the significance of the matter.
  • Check that you have all the necessary attachments for the permit application. The attachments to the application may be copies.

Links to laws related to the matter

Guardianship Services Act (442/1999), Unofficial translation in English (pdf)

Decree of the Ministry of Finance on the Fees Charged for Digital and Population Data Services Agency in 2022 (1136/2021), in Finnish

Decree of the Ministry of Finance on the Fees Charged for Digital and Population Data Services Agency in 2021 (969/2020), in Finnish

Guardianship Services contact information

Email

When sending an email, please use the Digital and Population Data Services Agency’s secure email to ensure that your information is sent securely. Select [email protected] as the recipient in the secure mail

Send the email as a secure email

Postal address

Property inventories, annual statements and final statements must be sent to the postal address of the service location.

All other post to the Guardianship Service must be sent to the address:
Digital and Population Data Services Agency / Guardianship, PO Box 1004, FI-00531 Helsinki

Telephone number

The telephone service is open 9.00-12.00 on weekdays

Service number +358 295 536 256

Service locations

Addresses of the Digital and Population Data Services Agency’s service location