Do you get a tax break for donating to Goodwill?
Daniel Santos
Published Jan 24, 2026
If you itemize deductions on your federal tax return, you may be entitled to claim a charitable deduction for your Goodwill donations. According to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), a taxpayer can deduct the fair market value of clothing, household goods, used furniture, shoes, books and so forth.
What are the benefits of donating to Goodwill?
What goodwill does not take?
Goodwill DOES NOT accept these items
- Any item needing repair, except computers.
- Ammunition, weapons, including replicas.
- Automotive parts, including tires, batteries, motors.
- Baby gear, including furniture, car seats, strollers, high chairs, etc.
- Box springs and mattresses.
- Bowling balls.
What items should not be donated?
25 Things You Should NEVER Donate
- Dirty clothes/linens.
- Ripped clothes/linens.
- Stained clothes/linens.
- Smelly clothes/linens.
- Especially wrinkly clothes.
- Cut off jeans. These items are commonly donated, but they are not commonly sold.
- Shoes that are scuffed up/ have holes.
- Shoes that smell.
What happens to the money you donate to Goodwill?
Goodwill uses the revenue from donated items to create employment placement and job training to contribute to our mission. More than 101 million people in the U.S. and Canada donate to Goodwill, knowing their clothing and household goods will be put to good use.
Where do clothes go after they are donated to Goodwill?
And his Goodwill region is just one of 164 regional Goodwill organizations across the U.S. and Canada. As you’re probably starting to realize, it takes a ton of effort to guide your clothes from the Goodwill donation bin to their final resting place.
Do you get paid for donating whole blood?
You do not get paid for donating either whole blood or plasma. Its a donation – that means it is freely given without reward or expectation of reward other than the knowledge that you are doing the right thing. I can be close to certain that I have helped save many tens of lives, possibly even hundreds. That’s quite a nice thought.
Is it better to sell stuff or donate it?
Donating is definitely quicker, so if you want to be done with it, donate it all in one fell swoop. But if you’d like to make some side change, selling is also an option. Here are several options available to you and your excess stuff. Related: Decluttering Projects You Can Easily Tackle in Less Than 30 Minutes