If you have some old furniture in Delaware that you no longer want, you can donate your used furniture to a local nonprofit organization. As long as the organization is listed with the IRS as a charity, you are able to claim a deduction on your taxes for the charitable contribution. Unfortunately, you can only claim the fair market value of the used furniture, which is typically considerably lower than what you paid for it. The IRS defines fair market value as the price a buyer would pay for the used furniture in the current market.
Instructions
1. Look through the used furniture that you want to donate to assess the quality. Typically, charities only accept used furniture that is in good condition. For a tax deduction, the IRS also states that used furniture must be in good condition or better.
2. Check on the IRS charities web page (see Resources) to make sure that your donation center is listed with the IRS for tax-deductible donations. If you don't have a place to donate, you can search by name, city and state to find available charities. National and local Delaware charities such as Goodwill of Delaware and Eastern USA Salvation Army accept used furniture.
3. Contact the charity by phone or online to see how they accept used furniture donations. For example, with Goodwill of Delaware you have to take the used furniture to one of the Delaware donation centers. However, with Eastern USA Salvation Army, you schedule a pickup and a driver will come to your home and take away the used furniture.
4. Determine the fair market value of your used furniture by reviewing the Goodwill of Delaware Donation Value Guide. Additionally, you can see what similar furniture in similar condition is selling for in your area of Delaware by visiting yard sales and reviewing the local newspaper classified ads.
5. Clean your furniture before giving it to the charity. Either set up your pickup or deliver your furniture to the charity donation center. Be sure to get a donation receipt for when you file your taxes.
Tags: used furniture, accept used, accept used furniture, fair market, fair market value, Goodwill Delaware, market value