How much is a donated refrigerator worth?
Updated , edition 2026.1
A working donated refrigerator is generally worth $80 to $260 in 2026, about $175 in good condition. A fridge that does not hold temperature is generally worth $0 and most charities will refuse it. A refrigerator is the highest-value appliance most households ever donate, and the one a charity is quickest to decline, because a unit that does not hold temperature costs them money to haul away.
- Typical value, good condition
- $175
- Published range, good condition
- $140 to $205
What a donated refrigerator 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Refrigerator, standard | $205 to $260 | $140 to $205 | $80 to $140 | Source 1 for Refrigerator, standardSource 2 for Refrigerator, standardSource 3 for Refrigerator, standard |
| Mini fridge | No guide prices this one. Enter your own figure and keep the evidence for it. | |||
| Freezer, upright | $80 to $100 | $50 to $80 | $25 to $50 | Source 1 for Freezer, uprightSource 6 for Freezer, upright |
| Chest freezer | $80 to $100 | $50 to $80 | $25 to $50 | Source 1 for Chest freezerSource 6 for Chest freezer |
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. Back to the full chart of donation values by item, or add this to a list. Got a receipt for this? Check it.
A mini fridge has no published range, so it takes your own figure. The freezer rows come from a single guide and share one band. Donating the whole laundry room too? See washer and dryer values.
Count yours
Set a count and a condition on each line for a total range you can print, link to, or save.
1 piece, suggested total
$175
Supported range $140 to $205
- This is fair market value, not tax saved. What it is worth to you
Photograph them before they leave the house. DeductiBee keeps the count, the condition, the photo and the value together on your iPhone until April. A counted batch is one entry; free for 20 new entries a year.
How this range was derived
Two charity guides publish a refrigerator range: the Salvation Army at $78 to $259 for a working unit and Habitat ReStore Twin Cities at $100 to $525. We take the lower median of the published lows and highs ($78 to $259) and split it into three condition bands.
The dataset record
Published: salvation-army-donation-value-guide "Refrigerator (Working)" $78.00-$259.00; habitat-restore-twin-cities-valuation-guide "Refrigerator" $100.00-$525.00. 2 primary sources consolidated by lower median. L*=$78.00, H*=$259.00; tiers per CITATIONS.md 3.4-3.6. Both sources price a working unit; The Salvation Army labels the row "Refrigerator (Working)". Published rows are unqualified, so they back the Standard leaf only; more specific types below are unsourced. CORROBORATION 2026-08-04 (registry pass, no values changed): kokomo-rescue-mission-valuation-guide "Refrigerator" $10.00-$250.00. All registered corroborating, so per CITATIONS.md 3.3 they do not enter the L*/H* consolidation and the published range above is unchanged. EDITION 2026-08-05: re-derived from the CURRENT edition of the Twin Cities Habitat ReStore "Donation Value Guide", revised 2023-09-19. The superseded 2017/2019 PDF edition printed "Refrigerator" $50.00-$350.00; the PDF is registered separately as habitat-restore-twin-cities-valuation-guide-2017 and now backs only the rows the current edition does not re-print. See CITATIONS.md 7.1. Only L* moved: ReStore's low crossed above The Salvation Army's $78.00, so the lower median of the two lows is now the Salvation Army figure. H* is unchanged, because the lower median of the two highs is still The Salvation Army's $259.00.
The same rules apply to every item: how the values are built. Want a different condition? Look up this refrigerator in the value tool.
- Like new
- Recent, every shelf, drawer and bin present, no dents, clean gasket.
- Good
- Cools correctly in both compartments, normal wear.
- Fair
- Works but dated, dented, missing a bin, or a tired gasket.
What drives the value of a donated refrigerator
The tier you pick is the biggest lever on this page. Here is what actually decides it.
Cooling is the whole appliance. A unit that holds temperature in both compartments, cycles normally, and does not run continuously sits in the upper half of its band. Anything else is a repair. Compressor noise, a freezer that frosts over within days, and a fresh-food side that never quite gets cold are the three symptoms that turn a donation into a disposal cost for the charity, which is why intake staff usually plug a fridge in before they accept it.
Then it is the parts that break in transit or never came along: the glass shelves, the crisper drawers, the door bins, and the wire freezer shelf. These are expensive to replace individually and specific to the model, so a fridge missing two drawers is visibly worth less than the same fridge complete. Door gaskets are the other tell. A gasket that no longer grips a sheet of paper closed lets the unit run constantly, and a torn or hardened seal is the difference between the middle tier and the bottom one.
Configuration and age shape the resale rather than the guide range. Ice makers and water dispensers add appeal only when the line is included and the unit is not leaking, water-through-the-door models that have been disconnected for years often need a new valve, and older high-consumption units resell slowly because the running cost is the buyer's problem. Compact and mini fridges carry no published range in our sources at all, so they are a comparable-sales item.
Why other guides show $400 or $525
Searchers see $259, $400 and $525 for the same fridge. Each guide prints one band across every condition and model, so its ceiling describes the best unit on the floor. We take the lower median of the primary guides' lows and highs ($78 to $259) and split it into three condition tiers. Why our values can look lower explains the method.
If your unit is premium (French door, counter-depth, under about three years old), support a higher figure with two or three local sale listings for the same model, kept with the photos.
| Guide | Row | Published range |
|---|---|---|
| Salvation Army | Refrigerator (Working) | $78 to $259 |
| Habitat ReStore Twin Cities | Refrigerator | $100 to $525 |
| Kokomo Rescue Mission (check only) | Refrigerator | $10 to $250 |
| DeductiBee 2026.1 | Refrigerator, all conditions | $80 to $260 |
Fridge condition check
Five checks: it holds temperature in both compartments; every shelf, drawer and bin is there; the gasket grips a sheet of paper all the way round; the doors have no dents or rust; and the ice maker and dispenser work, or none is fitted.
Fails the temperature check: not deductible, and most charities will refuse it. All five pass on a unit under about five years old: Like new. One check failed: Good. Two or more: Fair. Age only decides between Like new and Good; it is never a formula.
Will they take it?
The Salvation Army generally wants a working, freestanding unit with no rust and its cord attached. Goodwill generally does not take large appliances; call first. Habitat ReStores often pick up free, and some set a maximum age. Policies vary by location. A refused fridge is a $0 deduction.
Donate, recycle, or sell?
The tax value is the fair market value times your marginal rate, and only if you itemize: $175 at 22% is about $38. From 2026, itemized charitable gifts are generally reduced by 0.5% of AGI, and the non-itemizer deduction does not cover goods.
Compare that with a utility's fridge recycling bounty, where your utility offers one (amounts vary, and a bounty is a payment, not a charitable gift), or a local sale. Run your own numbers in the tax savings calculator.
Test and photograph
Run it for 24 hours: the fridge should sit at 37 to 40°F and the freezer at 0°F. Do the paper test on the gasket. Photograph the interior with every shelf in and the light on, and the model and serial plate. Defrost, clean and tape the doors for transport, and keep a pickup receipt that names the refrigerator.
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.
Plug it in the day before pickup, let it run, and photograph the interior with the shelves and drawers installed and the light on. Photograph the model and serial plate, which is usually on the inside wall near the crisper, because that plate dates the unit. Clean it out and prop the doors open after it is emptied, and keep the charity's pickup receipt, which for large appliances generally names the item specifically.
Like new for a refrigerator generally means a recent unit with every shelf and drawer, no dents on the doors, and a clean gasket. Good means it cools correctly and shows normal wear. Fair means it works but is dated, dented, missing a bin, or the gasket is tired. A unit that does not hold temperature is not Fair, it is not a deduction, and passing it to a charity that has to scrap it costs them money.
Items people log as a refrigerator by mistake
Filing an item under the wrong line is the quietest way to end up with a number you cannot support.
Standalone or chest freezer
Priced on its own row and generally below a refrigerator. Chest freezers in particular sell to a narrow buyer, and a unit that has thawed and been left closed is usually beyond saving.
Compact or mini fridge
Our sources publish no range for one, so it carries an honest blank rather than a number. Dorm-size units are cheap new, which keeps used values low and variable, so comparable sales are the evidence to keep.
Built-in or counter-depth units
The guides price freestanding refrigerators, and a built-in has installation and cabinet fit attached to it. Start from the standard range, then support any departure with recent sales of the same model.
Up, sideways, and out
Every value on this page comes out of the appliances section of the donation value guide, which shows the rest of the category with the same sourcing.
- ValuesAppliances donation valuesThe whole category, item by item, with the published range and the source behind every line.
- ValuesWasher and dryer donation value: what each machine is worth in 2026A donated washer is generally worth $41 to $155 and a dryer $47 to $95, by condition. Value the pair as two line items, compare five thrift guides, and save it.
- ValuesMicrowave donation value: what a used microwave is worth for taxesA donated microwave is worth $10 to $50 for taxes, about $31 in good condition. By condition, what Salvation Army and Goodwill list, what makes it $0.
- ValuesHow much is a donated vacuum cleaner worth?A donated vacuum is generally worth $10 to $40: $36 like new, $26 good, $15 fair. Goodwill and Salvation Army ranges, plus stick, shop and robot vacuums.
- ValuesTV donation value: what a used television is worth for taxesA working flat-screen TV in good condition is generally worth $145 to $230 donated, about $185. What Salvation Army and Goodwill list, and when it is $0.
- 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 refrigerator
Will a charity take a used refrigerator?
Does a missing crisper drawer really change the value?
How do I value a refrigerator I bought recently?
Can I deduct a fridge that doesn't work?
Does Goodwill take refrigerators?
Is a mini fridge worth anything?
I'm a landlord. Can I deduct a rental unit's old fridge?
Do I need to itemize to deduct a donated fridge in 2026?
Can I donate the fridge that conveys with a house I'm selling?
Do I need a receipt for a donated refrigerator?
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 .
- Donation Value Guide (2023 edition)
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 .
- 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 .
- 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 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 .
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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Condition on the record
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