Accounting Board

The Accounting Board operates under the auspices of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment. Provisions on the Accounting Board are contained in Chapter 8, sections 2 and 3 of the Accounting Act (1336/1997) and the Decree on the Accounting Board (784/1973).

Tasks

  • issuing of instructions and opinions on the application of the Accounting Act on the basis of requests
  • the requests may be submitted by 
  1. the authorities
  2. organisations representing entrepreneurs or municipalities
  3. parties obliged to keep accounting records
  • issuing of general advice and instructions on the application of the Accounting Act and the keeping of accounts, with the purpose of promoting good accounting practices
  • granting of exemptions, on a case-by-case or sectoral basis, from specific provisions of the Accounting Act. The exemptions may only be granted if they are in accordance with the provisions on annual accounts and group accounts issued by the European Union
  • submitting of proposals considered necessary by the board to the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment
  • issuing of opinions to the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment at the ministry’s request

Composition

  • the Accounting Board consists of a chair, a vice chair and at least six and at most ten other members
  • except for the chair, each member has a personal deputy
  • the members must be thoroughly familiar with accounting matters
  • at least one member and his/her deputy member must hold the Master of Laws degree
  • the Accounting Board members should possess broad and comprehensive expertise and experience in the issues discussed by the board
  • the Accounting Board members are appointed by the Government for a term of three calendar years

Composition of the Accounting Board | The website of the Accounting Board (in Finnish)

Operating method

  • the application for an opinion or exemption must be submitted in writing
  • the application may be in free-form and must contain the information needed for making a decision on the matter
  • the application must be submitted to the following address: Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, Accounting Board
P.O. Box 32, FI-00023 GOVERNMENT
  • the Accounting Board meets 20-25 times each year
  • the Accounting Board has a quorum when the chair or the vice chair and at least half of the other members are present
  • when applications for exemptions are considered, at least one of those present must hold a Master of Laws degree
  • general guidelines are prepared in working groups that consists of members and deputy members of the Accounting Board and, if necessary, of outside experts.

Within the Accounting Board there is a municipality sub-committee which carries out tasks that are specified in the Act of Local Government (365/1995) or delegated to it by the main Board.

The municipality sub-committee | The website of the Accounting Board (in Finnish)

Further information: timo.kaisanlahti(at)gov.fi