What is a donated mattress worth, if a charity takes it?
Used bedding is the one household donation a charity may be barred from reselling, so the first question is not what a mattress is worth but whether the organization can legally accept it.
- Typical value, good condition
- $48
- Published range, good condition
- $36 to $60
What a donated mattress 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mattress (double or full) | $60 to $80 | $36 to $60 | $13 to $36 | Source 1 for Mattress (double or full) |
| Mattress (single or twin) | $30 to $36 | $23 to $30 | $16 to $23 | Source 1 for Mattress (single or twin) |
| Mattress (queen or king) | No guide prices this one. Enter your own figure and keep the evidence for it. | Source 2 for Mattress (queen or king) | ||
| Mattress and Box Spring Set (queen) | $115 to $150 | $70 to $115 | $25 to $70 | Source 4 for Mattress and Box Spring Set (queen) |
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
Published: Salvation Army "Mattress (double)" $13-$78. L*=$13 H*=$78 by lower median; tiers split at 35%/70% of span per CITATIONS.md 3.4. [singleSource]
- 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 mattress
The tier you pick is the biggest lever on this page. Here is what actually decides it.
Size is the published lever here, and the table has a gap in it that is worth understanding. The single and double rows carry ranges. The queen and king row does not: no guide in our source registry prices one, so it asks for your own figure. The mattress-and-box-spring set, on the other hand, is priced as a set, and it is the highest row on the page, because a matched set is what a resale floor can actually put out.
Before condition, check acceptance. Rules on reselling used bedding vary by state and many charities decline used mattresses outright or take them only for recycling. A mattress a charity cannot resell is generally not producing the deduction the table suggests, and finding that out on the phone is cheaper than finding it out in a truck.
Where a mattress is accepted, the tier turns on the things a buyer checks in the first ten seconds: any stain at all, a visible body impression or sag through the middle, a torn or unravelling edge binding, and whether the law tag is still attached. A stained mattress is not in good used condition by any reading, and a sag deep enough to see is close behind it.
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 mattress standing on edge under good light, both faces, which shows staining and sag in a way a photograph of a made bed never will, and include the law tag with the size and manufacture date. If it is a set, photograph the two pieces together. Keep whatever the charity gives you at collection, and note on the item whether it was accepted for resale or for recycling, since that distinction is the one that matters later.
Items people log as a mattress by mistake
Filing an item under the wrong line is the quietest way to end up with a number you cannot support.
A box spring on its own
The foundation alone carries no published range here, while the mattress-and-box-spring set does. A set is a row; two separate pieces donated at different times are not.
The bed frame
Bed frames, headboards, and rails are priced separately from what goes on them, and a bed and a mattress given together are two items on two lines rather than one large one.
A crib mattress
Infant mattresses belong to the baby-gear tables and have their own status there, and used crib mattresses are subject to their own safety expectations that most charities apply strictly.
Up, sideways, and out
Every value on this page comes out of the furniture section of the donation value guide, which shows the rest of the category with the same sourcing.
- ValuesFurniture donation valuesThe whole category, item by item, with the published range and the source behind every line.
- ValuesHow much is a donated sofa worth?Fair market value for a donated sofa, why a sleeper sofa is the highest row on the page, and what a frame, cushions, and upholstery say about the tier.
- ValuesHow much is a donated dresser worth?Fair market value for a donated dresser, chest of drawers, or wardrobe, and why solid wood, drawer boxes, and an intact mirror move the published row.
- ValuesWhat is a donated dining table worth?Fair market value for a donated dining table, why a complete dining room set is a far larger number, and what leaves, chairs, and hardware do to the row.
- ValuesHow much is a donated desk worth?Fair market value for a donated desk, why the computer desk row shows a single published figure, and what a secretary desk is valued at instead.
- 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 mattress
Will a charity accept a used mattress?
Why is there no value for a queen or king mattress?
Can I deduct a mattress with a stain?
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 .
- 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 .
- Donation Valuation Guide (2017/2019 PDF edition, superseded)
Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity ReStore
Primary value source. A published range from this guide can set the low or high end of an item's band. 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.
A mattress is rarely the only thing in the car.
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Same numbers, offline
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Condition on the record
The tier you picked and the photo that supports it stay attached to the item, on your device.
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