Short Answer

Yes — in Arizona you can often be reimbursed for reasonable funeral expenses and other costs you paid before the estate is formally settled. Reimbursement usually comes from the decedent’s probate estate and is handled by the personal representative (executor or administrator). Whether and how much you get back depends on whether the estate has assets, whether you submit a timely claim, and whether those expenses are treated as priority administrative expenses under Arizona probate law (Title 14, Arizona Revised Statutes).

Detailed Answer — How Recovery Works in Arizona

Who pays funeral and short-term expenses?

When someone dies, the personal representative appointed by the probate court is responsible for paying the estate’s valid debts and costs of administration, which typically include funeral and burial expenses and reasonable expenses of the decedent’s last illness. If you paid those costs out of your own pocket before the personal representative paid them, you generally have a claim against the estate for reimbursement.

Priority of these expenses

Arizona law gives the estate’s administrative expenses (including reasonable funeral and burial costs and medical expenses of the last illness) priority for payment from estate assets before distributions to beneficiaries. This means these expenses are usually paid before unsecured creditors and legatees receive money. For the controlling statutory provisions, see Title 14 of the Arizona Revised Statutes: https://www.azleg.gov/arsDetail/?title=14.

How to make a claim for reimbursement

1. Identify the personal representative. If the estate has opened probate, the court file or the probate court clerk will show who is appointed.
2. Provide documentation. Keep itemized receipts, invoices, contracts with funeral homes, and proof of payment. Also keep correspondence that shows you paid these costs on behalf of the decedent.
3. Submit the claim to the personal representative. Present a written claim and attach your documentation. Many matters resolve by agreement at this stage.
4. If the personal representative refuses or ignores the claim, you may file a formal claim in the probate case and ask the court to allow it. The court will rule whether the expense was reasonable and should be paid from estate assets.

What if the estate lacks sufficient assets?

If estate assets are insufficient to pay all priority expenses, the court will follow Arizona probate rules about the order and pro rata payment of claims. If the estate can’t cover your reimbursement, you may not be able to collect the unpaid balance from beneficiaries who receive property outside probate (such as life insurance or jointly held property that passes outside probate) unless you have a separate contract or legal claim against them.

Payment from non-probate sources

Some funds that pay the funeral (life insurance proceeds, payable-on-death bank accounts, or pre-need funeral trusts) transfer outside probate. If those funds exist, the funeral provider may be paid directly without drawing on probate assets. Check whether the decedent had a funeral trust, an insurance policy, or Social Security/VA survivor benefits that could cover funeral costs.

If there was no personal representative appointed yet

If no one has opened probate and you paid funeral costs, you can ask a family member to open probate and seek reimbursement as an estate expense. Some funeral homes allow the person who paid to place a claim or be reimbursed directly from estate assets once probate starts. If the estate remains unopened and the amounts are small, Arizona has simplified procedures for collecting certain small estate assets; consult the probate clerk or an attorney about whether small-estate procedures apply.

Timing and deadlines

Arizona has specific procedural rules and deadlines for presenting claims in probate. To protect your right to reimbursement, submit your claim promptly after the personal representative is appointed and follow the probate court’s notice and claim procedures. For statutory guidance, see Title 14 of the Arizona Revised Statutes at https://www.azleg.gov/arsDetail/?title=14 and contact the local probate court clerk for local procedural rules: https://www.azcourts.gov/.

When to consider court action or an attorney

If the personal representative denies the claim, ignores it, or the estate administrator is not acting, you can ask the probate court to determine the claim. If the claim is significant or contested, consider consulting a probate attorney who can help prepare and file the claim and represent you in court.

Helpful Hints

• Keep originals and copies of all receipts, contracts, and proof of payment for funeral and last‑illness expenses.
• Ask the funeral home whether the decedent had a pre-need trust, insurance, or assigned benefits that would pay the bill directly.
• Identify and contact the personal representative as soon as probate opens; present your claim in writing with documentation.
• Request written confirmation of any refusal to pay; that will help if you need to ask the court to allow your claim.
• If the estate has limited assets, learn whether your expense is a priority administrative expense under Arizona probate rules.
• Check probate court resources or the Arizona Revised Statutes (Title 14) for filing procedures: https://www.azleg.gov/arsDetail/?title=14 and local court self‑help pages at https://www.azcourts.gov/.
• Act promptly. Delays may complicate proof and recovery.
• If you paid more than the funeral cost or used your credit or property to secure services, discuss with an attorney whether you have any direct contractual remedies against the provider.