The death of a loved one

A death estate is usually administered by one of the deceased’s next of kin. For many official matters such as banking, insurance and estate inventory, a detailed extract from the Population Register is required.

Such a document can be ordered from the parish of which the deceased was a member, or from the Digital Population Data Services Agency. If the deceased was a member of a parish but had left the Church, a statement is required from both the parish and the Digital and Population Data Services Agency. More information on managing the affairs of a deceased person (dvv.fi).

Estate inventory and estate inventory deed

When making an estate inventory, the assets, debts, heirs and beneficiaries of the will are reviewed. The person responsible for arranging the estate inventory is usually a relative who handles the affairs of the estate.

The estate inventory must be organised within three months of the death. The Tax Administration may, on application, grant an extension of time to carry out the estate inventory.

The estate inventory deed is prepared at an estate inventory event. It serves as the basis for inheritance tax and must be sent to the Tax Administration within one month of the date of the deceased’s death.

Death estate

The parties to a death estate, i.e. the heirs, the beneficiaries named in the will and the surviving spouse, jointly control the estate’s assets. If they cannot agree on the distribution of assets, the district court can appoint an external estate distributor for the estate. Any of the parties to the estate can apply to the district court of the deceased’s place of residence for the appointment of an estate distributor.

If the deceased had debts and unpaid bills at the time of death, these are paid from the estate’s assets. If the estate does not have enough money to pay all the bills and debts, the estate distributor must inform the creditors.

Division of property

If the deceased is married, a division of property must be carried out before the inheritance is distributed. The widow or widower does not usually receive an inheritance but is entitled to half of the couple’s assets by marriage, unless the spouses have a prenuptial agreement.

The division of property is the process of establishing the matrimonial property and dividing it between the spouses

The property to be inherited from the deceased consists of

• the proportion of the deceased’s share in the division, and
• any assets that the deceased may have had outside the scope of the matrimonial property, for example by virtue of a prenuptial agreement or will.

Distribution of an estate

The direct heirs are the children of the deceased. If there are no children, the deceased parents, siblings or widow may also be heirs.

If the deceased has made a will, the beneficiaries named in it are entitled to an inheritance. However, the children of the deceased are entitled to their statutory portion, regardless of the will. The statutory portion is half of the inheritance that the child would have received if there had been no will.

Regardless of the division of the estate, the widow or widower has the right to keep all or part of the deceased’s property. At the very least, the widow or widower is entitled to the dwelling and its contents, which was the shared home of the spouses.

A deceased’s property passes to the State if their closest living relatives are cousins and they do not have a will.