My father received a refund check after passing away. As executor of his estate, am I able to cash this check without an estate account?

Most likely not. Also depending which state you live in. When your father passed anything you receive technically needs to be deposited into an estate account. An estate account is its own entity and will get its own tax id #. You can't technically deposit a check or cash a check for someone who is deceased. It must go into the estate account. Is it possible that a bank won't know that your father is deceased yet, it's possible, but technically not legal. As executor, its your duty to tell financial institutions that he is deceased. Furthermore, if the refund check is made payable to your father, most likely the bank will tell you to have the issuer reissue the check in the name of the estate.

Why not just deposit it into your account if you are executor of his estate, you could use it for any expenses involved with his funeral or medical bills that may be coming through

You have to talk to the bank. Legally, nothing should be cashed unless it's made out to "The Estate of John Smith," because "John Smith is dead and cannot cash a check.

My folks' bank allowed me to DEPOSIT, not cash, one check made out to my dad because it had been issued and was in the mail when he died. All other checks had to returned and reissued to his estate.

I received 1 checks under 200 when my Mom died. The bank allowed me to put it in my acct since I had been Executor.

It may vary from state to state but the bank told me I had to get the company to reissue checks payable to the estate of Jane Doe