Estate inventory checklist: documents and deadlines

Deadlines and the people responsible

First write down the date of death and count three months forward: that is the last day for the inventory meeting. After the meeting the deed has one month to reach the Tax Administration. Agree who acts as the reporter of the estate, usually the surviving spouse or the child who knows the finances best. If time runs short, an extension is applied for before the deadline; a late application is not accepted.

• Date of death: ____
• Deadline for the inventory, three months from the date of death: ____
• Reporter of the estate agreed: ____
• Contact person for the Tax Administration agreed
• Extension applied for before the deadline if the genealogical report or another document is delayed (we handle it)
• Filing date for the deed, one month from the meeting: ____

About the deceased

The genealogical report is the longest single wait, so it is ordered first. The report for the period of church membership costs 75 euros from the regional register; for time outside the church the Digital and Population Data Services Agency charges 40 euros per document from the electronic register and 80 euros from digitised material, processing between 5 and 6 weeks. We order these for you at the start of the assignment. Look out yourselves for the will, any prenuptial agreement and the deed of a previously deceased spouse.

• Genealogical report from age 15 to the date of death, for the Evangelical Lutheran period from the regional register, 75 euros (we handle it)
• Extracts for time outside the church from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency, 40 or 80 euros per document (we handle it)
• Genealogical report on an heir who died before the deceased, if there are heirs taking their place
• The will
• Any prenuptial agreement
• The deed of a previously deceased spouse and the division or distribution deed, if a division was done

About the parties

The parties are the heirs, universal legatees and the surviving spouse until the marital division or the distribution. The children inherit first; with no descendants and no will the spouse inherits alone, otherwise the parents, then siblings and their descendants, then grandparents and aunts and uncles. Cousins do not inherit, and a cohabiting partner is not a party without a will. For each living party an extract with personal data is needed, which we order.

• List of the parties: name, personal identity code, address and relationship to the deceased
• Extracts on the living parties (we handle it)
• The surviving spouse's details and whether there was marital right
• Legatees, if there is a will
• Contact details of the parties for the invitations, including those living abroad

Assets on the date of death

Every value is recorded specifically as of the date of death. Banks issue a balance certificate for that date once they have been told of the death; we request the certificates from every bank for you. Real estate certificates come from the National Land Survey and the housing share certificate from the property manager. Insurance companies are not told of the death automatically, so life insurance is asked about by the family. If the deceased was married, the surviving spouse's assets are listed the same way.

• Balance certificates for the date of death from every bank: accounts, loans and book-entry accounts (we handle it)
• The value of funds and shares on the date of death
• The property manager's certificate for every housing company share
• For real estate the title certificate, register extract and encumbrance certificate from the National Land Survey
• Vehicles, boats and valuable movable property
• Life insurance payouts and beneficiaries, and amounts paid afterwards by the pension provider
• Cash, the contents of a safe deposit box and receivables
• The surviving spouse's assets the same way, if the deceased was married

Debts and deductions

Debts are listed at their balance on the date of death. Funeral costs and the costs of the inventory are deducted from the estate's assets, so every invoice connected with the funeral is gathered: the funeral home, the parish, the florist, the memorial gathering and the stonemason, plus the fees for the genealogical report. When we have handled the funeral, our invoice carries straight into the deed. Receipts are not sent to the Tax Administration, but they are kept for six years.

• Loan and credit balances on the date of death
• Unpaid bills, taxes and care fees
• The funeral home's invoice (carried straight from us into the deed)
• The parish or parish union invoice: grave, cremation, chapel
• Invoices for flowers, the death notice and the memorial gathering
• Reasonable costs of the gravestone or engraving
• The fees for the genealogical report and extracts, and the cost of the inventory

The will, gifts and the surviving spouse's declarations

The will and any prenuptial agreement are mentioned in the deed and attached as copies. Gifts and advances on inheritance given by the deceased within the last three years are recorded in the deed, so deeds of gift are worth finding. At the meeting the surviving spouse declares whether they keep possession of the shared home, and an heir entitled to a statutory share can present their claim; both are recorded. If you are unsure what any of this means in your estate, we go through it before the meeting.

• The will and whether it has been served
• The prenuptial agreement
• Gifts given within the last three years and the deeds of gift
• Advances on inheritance
• The surviving spouse's declaration on keeping the shared home
• A claim for a statutory share or a renunciation of inheritance, if one is made

The inventory meeting

Once the documents are in, we prepare the deed and agree a time. The parties are verifiably invited, but attendance is voluntary, and absence takes away no rights. Two of our funeral advisers act as trustees; a party cannot be one. The meeting is held at our office, in your home or remotely and, with the deed prepared, takes under an hour. Signatures are given electronically with strong authentication or on paper.

• Time and place of the meeting agreed: ____
• Invitations sent verifiably to every party (we handle it)
• Two trustees who are not parties (we handle it)
• Deed drafted and sent to the parties to read in advance (we handle it)
• Remote connection agreed for parties living abroad or elsewhere
• Signing method agreed: electronic authentication or paper

Filing with the Tax Administration and afterwards

The deed is filed with the Tax Administration in OmaVero or by post within one month of the meeting; we handle the filing. Copies of the will and the prenuptial agreement are attached, not balance certificates, receipts or population register extracts. The original deeds are kept by the family, because an original is needed at the bank and when registering title to real estate. The Tax Administration sends each party their own inheritance tax decision. After that the estate can be distributed by agreement or, if needed, with an estate distributor appointed by the district court.

• Deed filed with the Tax Administration within one month of the meeting (we handle it)
• Attached: copies of the will, the prenuptial agreement and any division or distribution deed
• Signed originals shared out to the parties and one kept for the bank
• Receipts and balance certificates kept for six years
• Inheritance tax decisions received by each party
• The estate's bank matters handled with the original deed
• Distribution agreed or an estate distributor applied for

What we handle and the next step

With us the estate inventory costs 590 euros for funeral clients and 690 euros standalone. The fixed price covers ordering the genealogical report and extracts, requesting the balance certificates, drafting the deed, two trustees, the meeting, filing with the Tax Administration and an extension application when needed. Your part is finding the documents at home and making the decisions at the meeting. Call 09 6129 890 or book a planning visit at Annankatu 12; the visit is free of charge. The meeting can also be held in your home or remotely.

• We handle: the genealogical report and the extracts on the parties
• We handle: balance certificates for the date of death from every bank
• We handle: drafting the deed, the invitations and two trustees
• We handle: filing with the Tax Administration and the extension application when needed
• You: the will, prenuptial agreement, deeds of gift and property documents as photos or scans
• You: choosing the reporter and the contact person, and the decisions at the meeting

Frequently asked questions