Duties of a child’s guardian

After the guardianship has been registered:

• Draw up a property inventory of the child’s assets and liabilities. The property inventory only has to be drawn up once.
• Submit the annual statement to the Digital and Population Data Services Agency each year.
• Apply for permission for significant transactions, such as purchases or sales.
• Keep the receipts of the major purchases made with your child’s money.

Read more about the responsibilities of the guardian of a minor - Digital and Population Data Services AgencyOpens in a new window.

Read the instructions and submit the annual statement of a minor's property - Digital and Population Data Services AgencyOpens in a new window.

Preparing the first annual statement may seem a lot of work but it will gradually become a routine.

The Digital and Population Data Services Agency audits the annual statements and charges a fee for the service. The amount of the payment depends on the amount of the child’s assets at the end of the financial year and the annual net income. The audit may also be free of charge.

You must submit the annual statement by 31 March each year.

With your child’s money, you can buy things that are only intended for their use. For example, you can buy a phone or a moped for your child. You can also use the child’s money to pay for expensive leisure activities, such as ice hockey equipment or language courses.

Always remember to ask your child’s opinion if your child is old enough to understand the matter. If your child disagrees with you on the use of the money, you as the guardian will ultimately decide if the action is in the best interests of the child.

It is your responsibility to determine how much should be spent on different purchases. Children have their own needs and the assets of the child and the family also determine how much can and should be spent.

If your children are already in working life, they have the right to decide how to spend their earnings. 

If your child receives a child’s pension, you can use it to pay for the child’s living costs. You do not need to save the child’s pension. If you decide to save the child’s pension, you should deposit the money to the child’s account.

Even if your children have property of their own, you are still obliged to support them. For example, you cannot use your children’s money 

• to buy clothes for them 
• to pay electricity bills or rent or
• buy food for your family.

You may never borrow money from your child or use your child’s money to make donations.

Following are some of the transactions for which a guardian needs permission

• selling and buying a home
• selling and buying real estate
• division of property and division of inheritance, if the estate has not appointed an estate distributor.

A fee is charge for the permission.

For prices and additional information, go to Guardian needs a permission (Digital and Population Data Services Agency).Opens in a new window.

You need a substitute if you are a party to the transaction. You need a substitute if, for example, 

• you are buying real estate that is in your child’s name,
• and you and your child are shareholders of the same estate.

A public guardian or a person close to you can serve as the substitute.

• If a person close to you serves as your substitute, also make sure that they are not disqualified and remember to ask for their consent for the task.
• A public guardian is usually a government official working in a guardianship office. A public guardian serving as a substitute is subject to a fee.

If you notice that you have made a mistake, contact the Digital and Population Data Services Agency. You will get instructions on what to do. You may need a substitute to temporarily perform your duties.

If, for example, you have purchased a dwelling for your child without permission, the transaction is binding on you but not on your child. However, you can also apply for permission for the transaction afterwards.

Sometimes the substitute of the guardian needs to sort out the situation. The substitute will determine whether you have acted in the best interests of the child or will apply for permission for the transaction on your behalf.