Donate Used Furniture in Illinois
If you live in Illinois and have some used furniture you need to get rid of, you can donate it to a local charity. As long as you donate your used furniture to an organization that accepts tax deductible donations, you can also list your donation on the following year's tax return.
Instructions
1. Gather together all of the used furniture that you want to donate and assess the quality of it. Clean anything that is dirty. Most charities typically accept only used furniture that is in good, clean condition.
2. Use the IRS's website (see Resources) to make sure that the charity you've chosen is listed for tax deductible donations. If you don't have a charity selected, you can search for one by name, city, and state. National and local charities in Illinois that accept used furniture donations include Goodwill, the Salvation Army, and the Sharing Connections Furniture Bank.
3. Contact the charity to ensure that it will accept your items and to find out how it accepts furniture donations. Some charities have a pickup service, or you may need to transport the furniture yourself. Additionally, not all used furniture is accepted everywhere, such as used mattresses.
4. Review the donation value guide on the Goodwill of Central Illinois website (see Resources) to get the fair market value of your used furniture. You can also check prices of similar items in local thrift stores, at yard sales, or in your local newspaper's classified ads. The amount you list on your taxes is tied to the fair market value of the used furniture, which is not the price you paid for it. The IRS lists fair market value as the price it would sell for on the local market.
5. Take your furniture to the donation center or arrange for a pickup. Be sure to get your donation receipt for your tax deduction.
Tags: used furniture, fair market, fair market value, market value, used furniture, deductible donations, Donate Used