Donate older furniture to charity.
If you have some used furniture in the Seattle, Washington area that you no longer need or no longer want, you can donate it to a local charity. Your furniture donation is tax deductible if the charity is listed with the IRS. The tax deduction can be no more than the fair market value of the used furniture, which is not the same as the price that you paid for the furniture. According to the IRS, the fair market value of used furniture is the price a buyer would pay for it in the current market.
Instructions
1. Clean up the furniture that you want to donate and assess it to see what condition it is in. Charities typically only accept used furniture that is in good condition.
2. Check with the IRS online (see Resources) to see if the place where you want to donate is listed in their charities database. You can also use the database to search by city and state to see available charities if you do not have one picked out yet. The Donate Seattle website (see Resources) also has listings of Seattle-area charities that are in need of furniture donations.
3. Reach out to the charity you have selected to see how they accept furniture donations. Some may have a donation center where you are required to drop off the furniture, while others such as the Salvation Army in Seattle may have a truck that will pick up your furniture. If the charity does pickups, be sure to have a date and time in mind for your donation.
4. Assess the fair market value of your used furniture by reviewing the Salvation Army Donated Goods Valuation Guide (see Resources). You can also check prices of similar items in local Seattle area garage sales and thrift stores.
5. Arrange for a pickup or get the furniture to the donation center of the Seattle charity. Be sure to get a donation receipt when you donate the used furniture.
Tags: used furniture, fair market, fair market value, market value, want donate, charity have, donation center