Short answer. No. Under Article 1429, when an heir voluntarily pays a debt of the deceased that exceeds the value of what he received from the estate, the payment is valid and cannot be rescinded by the payer. Having chosen to pay, you cannot later demand the excess back merely because it went beyond your inheritance.
What the law says
the payment is valid and cannot be rescinded by the payer
Civil Code, Article 1429 — Heir Paying Beyond the Inheritance. Read the full provision →
A voluntary overpayment by an heir stands
Article 1429 addresses exactly your situation: When a testate or intestate heir voluntarily pays a debt of the decedent exceeding the value of the property which he received by will or by the law of intestacy from the estate of the deceased, the payment is valid and cannot be rescinded by the payer. Ordinarily an heir is only liable for the decedent's debts up to what he actually inherits. But if, knowing this, you still chose to settle more, the law treats your act as a natural obligation you have voluntarily fulfilled. That fulfilment is complete and final.
Why the law refuses to give it back
The excess you paid was not a mistake the law will unwind. Beyond the limit of the inheritance, the decedent's debt is not a civil obligation the creditor could have forced you to pay — but it is grounded in fairness and conscience. When you pay such an obligation freely, the law recognises the payment as having a valid cause. Because it rests on your own voluntary decision rather than on an error, there is nothing to rescind. The creditor keeps what you gave, and you cannot recover it on the theory that you were never legally bound to pay it.
What this rule does not cover
The protection here assumes the payment was truly voluntary and made with awareness that the debt exceeded your share. It does not bar recovery where you paid under a genuine mistake — believing, for instance, that a debt was larger than it really was, or that you owed money you did not. Nor does it force any heir to pay beyond the inheritance in the first place; the rule only bites once you have freely chosen to do so. And it speaks to your own act as payer, not to arrangements you may have with co-heirs about sharing the estate's burdens.
Practical takeaways before you pay
The lesson is to decide before you hand over money, not after. An heir who wishes to protect himself should confirm the size of the debt, the value of what he is inheriting, and whether he is prepared to shoulder the shortfall as a matter of conscience. Once paid voluntarily and knowingly, the excess cannot be clawed back from the creditor. If you believe your payment was induced by fraud or mistake rather than a free choice, that is a different question and worth examining closely, because it falls outside the finality this article otherwise imposes on a willing payer.