What is a donated bicycle worth for taxes?
A donated bike is valued the way a repair shop would look at it: whether it rolls, stops, and shifts, and how much work it needs before it can do all three.
- Typical value, good condition
- $39
- Published range, good condition
- $28 to $50
What a donated bicycle is generally worth
Fair market value is a range, so these are ranges. The suggested figure sits inside the band the source guide published for that condition.
| Item | Like new | Good | Fair | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bicycle (adult) | $50 to $70 | $28 to $50 | $5 to $28 | Source 1 for Bicycle (adult) |
| Bicycle (children's) | No guide prices this one. Enter your own figure and keep the evidence for it. | Source 12 for Bicycle (children's) | ||
| Bike Helmet | $7 to $10 | $4.25 to $7 | $1 to $4.25 | Source 14 for Bike Helmet |
| Rack, Pump, Lights and Other Accessories | $7 to $10 | $4.25 to $7 | $1 to $4.25 | Source 14 for Rack, Pump, Lights and Other Accessories |
Values are per item, in 2026 dollars, from the DeductiBee valuation dataset, edition 2026.1. A range is what the source guide published; the suggested figure is the point inside it we prefill, not a price.
How this range was derived
Inherited from the published class-level "Bicycle" range: no registered guide splits bicycles by adult vs. children's, so the unsplit published row is carried on the adult leaf only and the children's leaf stays unvalued rather than claiming an adult range. Published: Salvation Army "Bicycle" $5.00-$83.00; Goodwill Central & Northern Arizona "Bicycles" $20-$70. Corroborating: Goodwill Central Illinois "Bicycles" $6.00-$50.00; Goodwill average-price list "Bike" $10. L*=$5, H*=$70 by lower median across the two primaries. Tiers per CITATIONS.md 3.4-3.6 (lower-median consolidation, 35%/70% band split, roundMoney). Sanity-anchor check per SOURCES.json goodwill-average-price-list: that sheet's point value for "Bike" is $10, well below the derived Good band of $28-$50. The divergence is recorded rather than corrected: it is driven by goodwill-cnaz (Phoenix pricing, $20-$70), whose high is still below the Salvation Army high of $83, so H*=$70 is the conservative of the two published highs and the envelope is supported by both primaries. Users with an ordinary used bike should expect to sit at the low end of the Fair band or override. CORROBORATION 2026-08-04 (registry pass, no values changed): goodwill-northern-illinois-valuation-guide "Bicycle" $6.00-$50.00. All registered corroborating, so per CITATIONS.md 3.3 they do not enter the L*/H* consolidation and the published range above is unchanged. AUDIT 2026-08-04, corroboration sweep completed: the registry pass credited only goodwill-northern-illinois and left six registered guides that also print a bicycle row uncited. Added, each read out of the fetched document: Ohio Valley Goodwill "Bicycles" $25-$150; Hope Village "Bicycle" $5.00-$75.00; Beacon House "Bicycle" $5.00-$75.00; Goodwill WNCT "Bike" $10 (point); Goodwill Greater Milwaukee & Chicago "Bicycles" $9.99 (point); smbiz "Bicycle" $10.00-$170.00. All corroborating, so per CITATIONS.md 3.3 none enters the consolidation and L*=$5.00 / H*=$70.00 is unchanged; they are recorded so the leaf cites every source that covers it rather than an arbitrary subset.
- Like new
- Unworn or barely used, with tags or as good as. The top of the published range.
- Good
- Used, complete, clean, and working, with no notable damage. The middle of the range.
- Fair
- Visible wear but still usable and saleable. The bottom of the range, and generally the lowest condition that can be claimed at all.
What drives the value of a donated bicycle
The tier you pick is the biggest lever on this page. Here is what actually decides it.
The published band on this page describes an ordinary adult bicycle. What moves a specific bike inside it is mechanical condition in a fixed order: do the wheels spin true without rubbing, do the tires hold air and still have tread, do both brakes stop the wheel firmly, and does the chain move across the gears without skipping. A bike failing any one of those needs shop time before it can be resold, and that is what the lower part of the range describes.
Rust is the fastest read on a bike's history. Surface rust on a chain and on the exposed seatpost means it lived outside, and outdoor storage also means seized cables, perished tire sidewalls, and bearings that feel gritty when you spin the cranks. A bike stored indoors with a clean drivetrain generally makes an honest like-new or good claim; one pulled out from behind a shed generally does not, whatever the frame looks like from six feet away.
Two rows on this page work differently. Children's bicycles carry no published range in this dataset, so they ask for your own figure. And a genuinely high-end road or mountain bike is likely worth more than any published thrift band, which means comparable sales rather than this row: write down the make, model, model year, and frame size before the bike leaves, because those four facts are what any later valuation is built from.
What evidence supports the condition you claimed
A number you can trace and defend is worth more in an audit than a generous one you cannot.
Photograph the whole bike from the drive side, then the drivetrain close up, then the frame's serial number under the bottom bracket. The serial number is worth having for a reason beyond the deduction: it is what identifies the bike if it is ever recovered after a theft, and it also pins down the model. Add a note on tire condition and whether the brakes were adjusted, since those are the two things an intake volunteer will test and neither shows in a photograph.
Items people log as a bicycle by mistake
Filing an item under the wrong line is the quietest way to end up with a number you cannot support.
A children's bicycle
Kids' bikes have no published range in this dataset, so they are custom-valued rather than a smaller version of the adult row. Enter your own figure and note the wheel size you based it on.
A helmet
Helmets are their own small published line, and they are worth thinking about before donating: a helmet that has taken an impact should be thrown away rather than given away, and many organizations decline used helmets entirely.
A stationary or exercise bike
Indoor fitness equipment is a different part of the guide, and no published band covers it, so it is custom-valued. The rows here are written for a bicycle you could ride away.
Up, sideways, and out
Every value on this page comes out of the sporting goods section of the donation value guide, which shows the rest of the category with the same sourcing.
Also in Biking
- Other Biking Equipment$6, good
Full ranges, all three tiers, and the sources for each are in the sporting goods valuation guide.
- ValuesSporting goods donation valuesThe whole category, item by item, with the published range and the source behind every line.
- ValuesHow much is a donated pair of jeans worth?What a donated pair of jeans is generally worth, why denim is priced above other pants, and how to tell like new from good on a pair you actually wore.
- ValuesWhat is a donated winter coat worth for taxes?Fair market value for a donated winter coat, why a coat and a jacket are priced on different lines, and what evidence supports the condition you claim.
- ValuesHow much can you deduct for a donated T-shirt?What a donated T-shirt is generally worth, how it differs from a blouse or a sweatshirt in the published guides, and when a tee is too worn to claim.
- ValuesWhat is a donated sweater worth for taxes?Fair market value for a donated sweater, why cashmere carries no published premium here, and what moth damage does to the condition tier you can claim.
- LookupLook up any other itemSearch the whole catalog, pick a condition, and read the range with its citation.
- CalculatorWhat the deduction is worth to youTurn a documented total into a range of tax effect, with the marginal-rate assumption stated on screen.
Questions about donating a bicycle
What condition does a donated bike need to be in?
How do I value an expensive bike?
Should I donate the helmet with the bike?
Where these values come from
Every range on this page traces to one of these. Values are derived from the published ranges, never copied from another product’s valuation database, and never invented where no source covers an item.
- Donation Value Guide (The Salvation Army Thrift Stores | Donation Valuation Guide)
The Salvation Army (Thrift Stores / Adult Rehabilitation Centers)
Primary value source. A published range from this guide can set the low or high end of an item's band. Fetched and read .
- Estimated Donation Values
Goodwill of Central & Northern Arizona
Primary value source. A published range from this guide can set the low or high end of an item's band. Fetched and read .
- Donation Value Guide / Valuation Guide
Goodwill Industries of Central Illinois (Peoria, IL)
Corroborating check. Used to sanity-check a band. Never moves a figure on its own. Fetched and read .
- Valuation Guide for Goodwill Donors (single average price variant)
Goodwill Industries International (single-value variant; copy hosted by Goodwill Industries of East Texas)
Corroborating check. Used to sanity-check a band. Never moves a figure on its own. Fetched and read .
- Valuation Guide
Goodwill Industries of Northern Illinois
Corroborating check. Used to sanity-check a band. Never moves a figure on its own. Fetched and read .
- Fair Market Value Sheet (Revised 3/1/2023)
Ohio Valley Goodwill Industries (Cincinnati, OH)
Corroborating check. Used to sanity-check a band. Never moves a figure on its own. Fetched and read .
- Donation Value Guide
Hope Village for Children (Hope Village Thrift Store, Meridian, Mississippi)
Corroborating check. Used to sanity-check a band. Never moves a figure on its own. Fetched and read .
- Donation Value Guide
The Beacon House Association of San Pedro (Beacon House Thrift Shop, San Pedro, CA)
Corroborating check. Used to sanity-check a band. Never moves a figure on its own. Fetched and read .
- Valuation Guide for Goodwill Donors
Goodwill of Western and Northern Connecticut
Corroborating check. Used to sanity-check a band. Never moves a figure on its own. Fetched and read .
- Donation Value Guide - What is my donation worth?
Goodwill Greater Milwaukee & Chicago (Goodwill Retail Services, Inc., Tax ID# 39-2040239)
Corroborating check. Used to sanity-check a band. Never moves a figure on its own. Fetched and read .
- Valuation Guide for Charitable Contributions
Small Business Taxes & Management (A/N Group, Inc.), ISSN 1089-1536
Corroborating check. Used to sanity-check a band. Never moves a figure on its own. Fetched and read .
- Publication 561 (12/2025), Determining the Value of Donated Property
Internal Revenue Service (U.S. Department of the Treasury)
Methodology. Sets the standard the values have to meet. Never a source of dollar figures. Fetched and read .
- Publication 526 (2025), Charitable Contributions
Internal Revenue Service (U.S. Department of the Treasury)
Methodology. Sets the standard the values have to meet. Never a source of dollar figures. Fetched and read .
- Estimated Valuation Guide & Receipt for Items Donated to the Kokomo Rescue Mission
Kokomo Rescue Mission (Kokomo, Indiana; Federal I.D. No. 351104430)
Corroborating check. Used to sanity-check a band. Never moves a figure on its own. Fetched and read .
The rules behind the thresholds
- Publication 561, Determining the Value of Donated PropertyIRS, IRS publication
- Publication 526, Charitable ContributionsIRS, IRS publication
- Instructions for Form 8283IRS, IRS form
A value is evidence, not a ruling. Deductibility depends on your own facts, including whether the organization is qualified and what records you kept. This is record-keeping software, not tax advice.
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