While you might struggle to get the check of a deceased parent honored, the executor of your parent’s estate will be able to deposit that check successfully. This is because the executor is a legal representative of the estate, so they have the right to conduct activities that might impact that estate. Depositing a check for a cash value is definitely an activity that affects the estate.  However, in the case where an executor has a check that was made out to the deceased, the check is not actually deposited. Instead, these checks are deposited into the estate’s checking account. From there, they then become part of the estate’s cash pool. This cash pool is then divided evenly between the beneficiaries of the estate once the probate has been completed.  So, yes, an executor can deposit a check made out to the deceased. However, they will not deposit the check in the same way that a regular person would. Instead, that check forms part of the estate’s checking account.