How to Donate Old Furniture
Sure, you might be sick of looking at that same old avocado-green couch, but it could actually be a blessing to someone who needs it. In addition, by donating your old furniture, you'll be able to get a tax break for your contribution. It's a clear win-win; why not clear out some space and invite some good karma?
- Difficulty:
- Moderately Easy
Instructions
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1
Check your yellow pages under "Associations," "Health Service" or "Social and Human Services for Individuals and Families" to find local charitable organizations that may accept furniture donations. Also check under "Thrift Shops," as these places almost always accept such donations.
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Contact Goodwill (800-664-6577) or the Salvation Army (800-SAL-ARMY).
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Call your local high school's drama department or a community theater to see if they can use your furniture for sets.
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Arrange for the pickup of the furniture. Most charities will send someone to pick up your furniture if you donate it, but be sure to ask about this, especially if delivering the furniture yourself isn't an option.
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Get a receipt when the items are picked up by the charity. Once you get the receipt, itemize the items you gave to charity and list them with their fair market value. Attach this list to the receipt. See the Related eHow, "Figure Fair Market Value for Donations of Property to Charities."
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Save your receipt and list for tax purposes.
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Tips & Warnings
For tax purposes, follow these procedures: If your property is not worth more than $250, keep the receipt with the name of the charity, the date of the donation and a description of what was donated, including its value; if your donation exceeds $250 but is less than $500, get a written acknowledgement from the charity stating whether it gave you any goods or services in exchange for the items donated, and what the fair value of the donation is; if your donation exceeds $500, keep the receipt, your itemized list, an acknowledgement from the charity as described above, and information on how and when you received the furniture and the cost basis. All of this information can be filed with your taxes. If the amount of the donation exceeds $500, you will need to file Form 8283.
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Comments
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smileyself
Jul 08, 2009
I have a "almost new" sofa bed queen sized to get rid of. -
Aug 08, 2006
It seems that in my community many people are grabbing up all the FreeCycle items and then hauling them directly to the Idaho Youth Ranch, St. Vincent DePaul, Deseret Industries, or other thrift-store type recyclers. What happens then is that they get a receipt for their donations, which can be used at tax time to reduce their income taxes. While at first glance this seems unfair (free cycle items are supposed to be free and passed for no monetary exchange), but it does get unwanted goods back into circulation.
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Jul 14, 2006
I called Goodwill to pick up a 3 piece heavy sectional couch. All was fine until I told them that it was upstairs, then it all came to a halt. They said I had to take it downstairs in order to have it picked up. They do not carry donations from the second floor and above.
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Jul 14, 2006
I called Goodwill to pick up a 3 piece heavy sectional couch. All was fine until I told them that it was upstairs, then it all came to a halt. They said I had to take it downstairs in order to have it picked up. They do not carry donations from the second floor and above.
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Mar 02, 2006
If your item is not in good enough shape for the Goodwill to resell, they may not take it. You can always try Freecycle -- someone out there wants your item! In Freecycle, items must be given away completely free. You do not get a tax deduction. But, the person who wants it comes to you and picks it up, usually within a day or two. Just Google "Freecycle" plus your town name or county name (suburban areas often use the county name) to find the local freecycle network. It is a Yahoo group. Join the appropriate Yahoo group, post an e-mail with your item's description -- no photo required -- and where you are located. Usually you'll have a taker in a minute or two. This is also an excellent way to get rid of remodeling extras like half pieces of Pergo floor left over that you'd otherwise have to take to the dump. People will also want your old windows and working computer monitors that you'd have to pay to dump.
