Estate bills: OP, Nordea, S-Pankki and Danske Bank

The deceased's bills can be paid from their account even before the estate inventory, but the method depends on the bank. Wider banking - closing accounts, transferring funds and dividing the inheritance - requires the estate inventory deed and a power of attorney from the estate shareholders.

Bank	Paying bills before the estate inventory	Power of attorney after the estate inventory
OP	Online at op.fi/kuolinpesa or at the branch cashier	Completed online at op.fi/kuolinpesa, effective after the inventory deed is checked
Nordea	PDF/image via online banking or Omaposti, subject "Kuolinpesän laskut"	Each shareholder sends a power of attorney of identical content to Omaposti
S-Pankki	With a payment service envelope, bill signed by the shareholder	Individualised power of attorney signed by hand, at most 12 months old
Danske Bank	With a payment envelope, at a branch or with the estate services form	Individualised power of attorney signed by every shareholder

Below are each bank's instructions step by step. The information is based on the banks' own guidance pages (checked in October 2026). Practices can change, so check the final instructions on the bank's website.

Also read the general guide on estate banking matters and access to the account. The contents and template of the power of attorney are covered in the guide power of attorney for the estate's bank.

What happens to the deceased's banking after death?

Banks usually receive notice of the death automatically from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency. If the deceased lived abroad, it is worth notifying the bank yourself.

Based on the notice, the bank usually:

• closes online banking and the banking credentials - nobody can use the deceased's credentials any more
• closes the bank cards
• removes other people's access rights to the deceased's accounts
• ends e-invoice agreements - bills will arrive on paper from then on

The accounts do not disappear, however: pension or salary payments may still arrive in them, and certain bills can be paid from them. Direct debits and other payment agreements may continue automatically, so it is worth checking them and cancelling the unnecessary ones. The other holder of a joint account can usually continue using the account.

Which bills can be paid before the estate inventory?

According to the banks' instructions, the following can be paid from the deceased's account:

• bills related to the funeral and the memorial reception
• hospital and care costs
• the deceased's recurring bills, such as electricity, phone and housing company charges
• reasonable costs of caring for the estate and of the estate inventory

The bill must show a connection to the deceased or the estate.

OP (Osuuspankki): estate bills and power of attorney

OP's estate matters are mostly handled online at op.fi/kuolinpesa. You can log in with the credentials of any Finnish bank - OP credentials are not needed. The same instructions apply to all cooperative banks.

OP estate bills - how to pay

1. Get an official certificate on the deceased from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency or the parish. According to OP, the certificate is how you show your shareholding in the estate.
2. Log in to the service at op.fi/kuolinpesa with your own banking credentials.
3. Send the bills for payment online. According to OP, documents and bills can be sent online even if you are not an estate shareholder yourself.
4. Alternatively, pay at a branch during cashier service hours. Bring photo ID and an official certificate showing your shareholding.

Before the estate inventory, OP pays from the estate's account reasonable funeral and estate inventory costs as well as bills related to the care, administration and settlement of the estate.

Pending payments and direct debits: With the condolence letter, OP sends a list of the deceased's pending payments, e-invoice orders and direct debits. Check the list and cancel unnecessary payments by phone or at a branch. If the deceased had a loan, contact OP about payment arrangements.

OP estate power of attorney

1. Submit the estate inventory deed with attachments at op.fi/kuolinpesa. According to OP, the bank is obliged to check the inventory deed.
2. Complete the power of attorney online in the op.fi/kuolinpesa service. In it the shareholders define whom they authorise to act on behalf of the estate and to what extent.
3. The power of attorney takes effect once OP has checked the estate inventory deed.
4. A paper power of attorney template can be printed from the service. The template also arrives with the condolence letter sent to the deceased's address.

OP Life Insurance products have their own power of attorney template, and Pohjola Insurance's estate matters are handled separately.

Dividing the inheritance at OP

Once the inventory deed has been checked, the estate's authorised representative can divide the inheritance and end the estate's services. For this, an appointment is booked at any cooperative bank branch, and any deed of partition is submitted to the bank well before the meeting.

Contact details: OP customer service 0100 0500 → Personal banking services → Estate matters. Pohjola Insurance estate matters 0303 0303.

Nordea: estate bills and power of attorney

Nordea receives notice of the death from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency and sends a balance certificate for the deceased's Nordea accounts within about two weeks. Instructions: Nordea - handling banking matters after a relative's death.

Nordea estate bills - how to pay

1. Who can pay: one representative of the estate, for example a spouse, heir or another person handling the estate.
2. An official certificate is not needed to handle the bills, but you must identify yourself with banking credentials.
3. Send the bills as a PDF or image file:
   • If you have Nordea credentials: log in to the mobile or online bank → Support → Send documents → subject Kuolinpesän laskut.
   • If you do not have Nordea credentials: log in with your own banking credentials to nordea.fi/omaposti.
4. Alternatively, order payment envelopes or contact customer service. For overdue or urgent bills it is worth calling.

A fee according to Nordea's price list is charged for the bills.

Estate expense account: Before the estate inventory, an estate expense account can be opened for paying known bills. According to Nordea's instructions, up to 10,000 euros can be transferred to the account, and opening it requires the written consent of all known shareholders. The account is linked to the authorised representative's online bank.

Nordea estate power of attorney

We go through the content requirements and structure of Nordea's power of attorney in the guide Nordea estate power of attorney: power of attorney for handling the estate's affairs. According to Nordea, the authorised representative can start handling the estate's banking matters when:

1. the estate inventory deed with attachments has been submitted to Nordea
2. the statement of shareholders has been completed
3. an individualised power of attorney has been received from all shareholders

Every shareholder must give an authorisation of identical content. The estate's matters cannot be handled with open-ended powers of attorney. Each principal sends the power of attorney electronically via the mobile or online bank or the nordea.fi/omaposti service under the subject Kuolinpesän asiakirjat. Power of attorney template: Power of attorney for handling the estate's banking matters (PDF).

Safe deposit box: According to Nordea, the contents of a safe deposit box are itemised before the estate inventory together with a bank representative and a shareholder or the authorised representative. The box cannot be emptied before the estate inventory. The itemisation is arranged through customer service.

S-Pankki: estate bills and power of attorney

S-Pankki receives notice of the death from the population information system and sends certificates of the deceased's assets and debts to their address within about a month. Instructions: S-Pankki - estate bills and documents.

S-Pankki estate bills - how to pay

1. Who can pay: even a single estate shareholder.
2. Which bills: the deceased's electricity, phone, housing company charge and other similar recurring bills, as well as death-related bills such as hospital, funeral and memorial reception fees.
3. Sign the bill and mark on it the account from which the payment is charged.
4. Send the bill in a payment service envelope to S-Pankki/Maksupalvelu, PL 78, 00088 S-RYHMÄ. Free envelopes are available at customer service points.

A fee according to the price list is charged for a bill paid through the payment service. According to S-Pankki, the estate's banking services are free of charge for one year from the death if the deceased was a customer-owner of a cooperative society or a member of a customer-owner household.

S-Pankki power of attorney for an estate

• An individualised power of attorney is needed from all shareholders who are not present themselves to handle the matter.
• The power of attorney may be at most 12 months old.
• The power of attorney must be signed by hand - according to S-Pankki, an electronic signature is not possible.
• Form: Power of attorney for handling the estate's affairs.

Closing the deceased's account additionally requires valid photo ID, the complete estate inventory deed with the genealogical statement, any will, in an undivided estate the inventory deed of the deceased spouse, and in an already divided estate the partition documents.

S-Pankki's other powers of attorney

In addition to the estate power of attorney, S-Pankki has its own forms for, for example, general banking, withdrawals from an account and opening services for a child. According to S-Pankki, these powers of attorney are completed at a customer-owner and S-Pankki point, and they can be used only once. See S-Pankki's power of attorney page.

Former Handelsbanken customers: Handelsbanken's Finnish personal customers moved to S-Pankki on 1 December 2024. If the deceased was a Handelsbanken customer, their banking matters are now handled at S-Pankki.

Danske Bank: estate bills and power of attorney

Danske Bank receives notice of the death automatically. Relatives can also report the death by submitting an official certificate with the estate services form. Instructions: Danske Bank - handling the estate's affairs.

Danske Bank estate bills - how to pay

1. Who can pay: any estate shareholder or other person handling the estate.
2. Which bills: the deceased's electricity, phone, housing company charge and other recurring bills, as well as death-related hospital, funeral and memorial reception bills.
3. Payment methods:
   • Payment envelope - according to Danske, the cheapest way. The envelopes are free and postage is paid. Mark the account number and your signature on the bill.
   • Branch - at branches offering cashier service.
   • Estate services form - the bill can be sent for payment online.
   • Mobile or online bank - if access to the estate's account has been added through customer service on the basis of a power of attorney.

A service fee according to Danske Bank's price list is charged for the bills.

Danske Bank estate power of attorney

• Handling the estate's banking matters at Danske Bank requires an individualised power of attorney.
• The power of attorney needs the signature of every estate shareholder.
• A power of attorney is not needed for actions that a single shareholder can take alone, such as paying certain bills.
• The power of attorney and partition agreements are submitted with the service form, by an online bank message, or as originals by post (Danske Bank, Kuolinpesät, PL 1245, 00075 DANSKE BANK) or to a branch.

After the estate inventory, Danske Bank needs copies of the inventory deed with attachments, the genealogical statement, any will with proof of service, any marriage settlement, and where necessary the deed of division of property and the deed of partition.

Contact details: Danske Bank customer service 0200 2580 (weekdays 9-16).

Other banks

At savings banks, POP Banks, Aktia, Ålandsbanken and other banks the principles are the same: bills can be paid before the estate inventory, and wider banking requires the inventory deed and a power of attorney from the shareholders. Check the bank's own instructions on its website or from customer service.

If you do not know which banks the deceased had accounts with, hints can be found in, for example, account statements, mail and the deceased's tax decision.

Power of attorney for the estate's banking

The estate shareholders administer the estate together. In practice it makes sense to authorise one person to handle the banking matters. All four banks require an individualised power of attorney - that is, one that states what the authorised person may do. More detailed instructions and a template: power of attorney for handling the estate's affairs.

The power of attorney must state:

• the deceased's name and personal identity code
• the personal details of the principal and the authorised person
• the scope of the authorisation, for example paying bills, transferring funds, selling securities, using the safe deposit box or closing accounts
• the date and signature

Use the bank's own power of attorney template - it speeds up processing. The templates can be found in the bank-specific sections above.

Practical timeline

Stage	When	Task
Right after the death	First weeks	Order an official certificate, send urgent bills to the bank, check direct debits
Before the estate inventory	At the latest 3 months from the death	Collect balance certificates (some banks send them automatically), itemise the safe deposit box
After the estate inventory	Inventory deed to the Tax Administration within one month	Submit the inventory deed to the banks and make the powers of attorney
Bank processing	Varies by bank	The bank checks the inventory deed and the shareholders and confirms the authorisation
After the partition	Once the partition is done	Close the accounts and transfer the funds to the heirs

On the deadline for the estate inventory and extra time: estate inventory documents.

Common problems and solutions

The bank does not pay the bill

Make sure the bill shows a connection to the deceased or the estate and that you have submitted the information the bank requires (for example, at OP and S-Pankki an official certificate showing your shareholding). Call the bank's estate service if needed.

A shareholder does not sign the power of attorney

Without a power of attorney from all shareholders, the bank cannot act on the authorised person's instructions. An alternative is to apply to the district court for an estate administrator, who handles the administration of the estate in place of the shareholders.

The deceased has accounts at several banks

Each bank processes the inventory deed and the powers of attorney separately and with its own forms. Submit the documents to all banks at the same time.

Opening a safe deposit box

A safe deposit box is itemised in the presence of a bank representative, and the contents are recorded in the inventory deed. At Nordea, for example, the box cannot be emptied before the estate inventory. Book an appointment with the bank.

Online banking credentials are missing

The estate may not use the deceased's credentials. At OP and Nordea, the estate's matters can be handled online with your own credentials from any Finnish bank. At Danske Bank, the estate's account can be linked to the authorised person's online bank on the basis of a power of attorney.

Checklist for the estate's banking

Right after the death

• Order an official certificate on the deceased
• Notify the bank of the death if the deceased lived abroad
• Send urgent bills to the bank according to the bank's instructions
• Check direct debits and pending payments and cancel the unnecessary ones

Before the estate inventory

• Collect balance certificates from all banks as of the date of death
• Find out about loans, guarantees and life insurance
• Itemise any safe deposit box

After the estate inventory

• Submit the inventory deed with attachments to all banks - see estate inventory documents
• Make the powers of attorney on each bank's own template
• Agree who handles the banking matters

After the partition

• Submit the deed of partition to the banks
• Close the deceased's accounts and transfer the funds to the heirs
• Ask the bank for confirmation that the accounts have been closed

Also read about the estate inventory, the deceased's debts in the estate inventory, bank accounts in the estate inventory and the estate's taxes.

Frequently asked questions

Can an estate's bills be paid before the estate inventory?

Yes. OP, Nordea, S-Pankki and Danske Bank allow payments related to the funeral, the memorial reception and the deceased's recurring bills to be made from the deceased's account before the estate inventory. At OP and Nordea the bills are sent online, at S-Pankki and Danske Bank with a payment envelope.

Is the signature of all shareholders needed for the power of attorney?

Yes, if you want to authorise one person to handle the estate's banking matters. Nordea requires a power of attorney of identical content from every shareholder, and at Danske Bank the power of attorney needs the signature of every shareholder. At S-Pankki a power of attorney is needed from those shareholders who are not present themselves.

What happens to the deceased's e-invoices and direct debits?

E-invoice agreements end when the deceased's online banking is closed, and bills will arrive on paper from then on. Direct debits and payment agreements may continue, so it is worth checking them and cancelling the unnecessary ones.

Can an estate take out a loan?

In principle an estate can obtain a loan with the consent of all shareholders, but in practice banks rarely grant new loans to estates. If the estate's funds are not enough for the bills, contact the bank - Nordea, for example, advises in such situations through its estate advisory service.