The responsibilities of the guardian of a minor
When the property in a child’s name exceeds EUR 20,000, their guardian must inform us of this fact. We advise guardians in the management of a minor’s property and supervise their activities. The guardian’s duties include drawing up a property inventory, an annual statement and a final statement.
What must the guardian do?
The parents or guardians who have custody of a minor act as the minor’s guardians and are jointly responsible for the management of the minor’s property. If a minor has two guardians, they must both sign the applications, notifications and account forms.
How to begin your task
Make sure that all of the minor’s property is in their name.
This property can only be used for their own benefit and personal needs. The property owned by a minor does not remove their parents’ maintenance obligation.
Keep a record of the management of the minor’s property. Retain all account statements and receipts in a format that allows you to access them whenever necessary.
We process the information we receive and hear the guardians.
During the processing of the information, we will hear the guardians of the minor, i.e. we will ask for your opinion on the matter in writing. We will determine whether there are any grounds for supervising the management of the minor’s property. If you have not submitted the property inventory yet, we will request it at this stage. We will then make our decision.
We make our decision and send it to you.
According to our decision, we will
A) enter the guardianship of the minor in the register. In practice, this means that you must submit an annual account of the management of the minor’s financial affairs. For more information, read the decision and its appendices.
B) not enter the guardianship of the minor in the register. Please note that your duties as the manager of the minor’s financial affairs will continue even if you are not accountable to us.
The decision is free of charge.
Performing your task
Prepare a statement on the previous year by 31 March. Fill in the annual statement form according to the form’s instructions.
The end of the task
You must prepare and submit the final statement to us within two months of the end of your task. Read more about preparing a final statement.
If the value of the child’s property is reduced due to the actions of the guardian, the guardianship does not end.
Please note that your duties as the manager of the minor’s financial affairs will continue even if we remove the minor’s guardianship from the register. In this case, however, you will not be accountable to us or required to submit a final statement.
As a guardian, you are required to keep all documents accumulated during the supervision. Even after three years, you may not destroy the documents, but must instead hand them to the minor who has reached adulthood.
New: at the Guardianship e-service you can make a property invertory, an annual statement, a final statement and apply for permits online. The e-service is available in Finnish and Swedish language.
Do you need help?
Read the frequently asked questions about guardianship of a minor.
Telephone service: 0295 536 256.
Service hours: Mon–Fri 9–15.
Customer service for family relations and custodian information regarding minors recorded in the Finnish Population information System visit our website.
Laws related to the matter
Guardianship Services Act (442/1999)Link to an external websiteyja-external-link-opens-in-a-new-tab