Perintötyyppi

Perintötyyppi refers to a Finnish legal concept related to inheritance. It determines how assets are distributed after a person's death. In Finnish law, the primary perintötyyppi is based on statutory inheritance, meaning that if a person dies without a will, their closest relatives inherit according to a predefined order. The surviving spouse and children are the primary heirs. If there are no descendants, the inheritance passes to the deceased's parents, and then to their siblings if the parents are deceased.

Alternatively, a person can create a will (testamentti), which allows them to deviate from the statutory inheritance rules to a certain extent. However, even with a will, certain individuals, such as descendants, have a right to their mandatory share (lakiosa) of the inheritance, which cannot be completely willed away. If there is no will and no statutory heirs, the estate typically goes to the Finnish state. Understanding the applicable perintötyyppi is crucial for estate planning and settling inheritances in Finland. The specific rules can be complex and are governed by the Finnish Inheritance Act.