Donated shoes value: what a pair is worth for taxes in 2026
Updated , edition 2026.1
A donated pair of adult shoes in good condition is generally worth $11 to $19 (we prefill $15). Sneakers run lower, $6 to $8 a pair, and ankle boots $10 to $14. Values are per pair, in 2026 dollars, drawn from published Salvation Army and Goodwill guides. Footwear is the one clothing category where the evidence is on the bottom of the item, and almost nobody photographs it.
- Typical value, good condition
- $15
- Published range, good condition
- $11 to $19
Donated shoe values by type, men's and women's (per pair)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men's everyday shoes | $19 to $26 | $11 to $19 | $3 to $11 | Source 1 for Men's everyday shoesSource 2 for Men's everyday shoesSource 3 for Men's everyday shoes |
| Men's sneakers and athletic shoes | $8 to $9 | $6 to $8 | $4 to $6 | Source 4 for Men's sneakers and athletic shoesSource 5 for Men's sneakers and athletic shoes |
| Men's dress shoes | $10 to $12 | $7 to $10 | $5 to $7 | Source 4 for Men's dress shoes |
| Men's sandals or slippers | $8 to $9 | $6 to $8 | $4 to $6 | Source 4 for Men's sandals or slippersSource 5 for Men's sandals or slippers |
| Men's ankle boots | $14 to $18 | $10 to $14 | $6 to $10 | Source 4 for Men's ankle bootsSource 5 for Men's ankle boots |
| Men's work or hiking boots | No guide prices this one. Enter your own figure and keep the evidence for it. | |||
| Women's sneakers and athletic shoesWomen's Clothing | $8 to $9 | $6 to $8 | $4 to $6 | Source 5 for Women's sneakers and athletic shoes |
| Women's dress shoes, heels, flatsWomen's Clothing | $19 to $26 | $10 to $19 | $2 to $10 | Source 2 for Women's dress shoes, heels, flatsSource 3 for Women's dress shoes, heels, flats |
| Women's sandalsWomen's Clothing | $8 to $9 | $6 to $8 | $4 to $6 | Source 5 for Women's sandals |
| Women's ankle bootsWomen's Clothing | $14 to $18 | $10 to $14 | $6 to $10 | Source 5 for Women's ankle boots |
| Women's tall bootsWomen's Clothing | $4 to $5 | $3 to $4 | $2 to $3 | Source 3 for Women's tall boots |
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.
Every value is per pair. Worn out, a single shoe, or odor: $0, not deductible; recycle instead. Women's tall boots read below ankle boots because only one guide prints a generic women's boots row ($2 to $5); a tall boot with real resale demand needs your own comparable sales. Kids' pairs are on the children's shoes page.
Count yours
Set a count and a condition on each line for a total range you can print, link to, or save.
7 pieces, suggested total
$84
Supported range $70 to $96
- 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
Charity guides print men's shoes from $4 to $26 (Salvation Army) and $3 to $30 (Goodwill Northern New England). We take the lower median of the published lows and highs ($3 to $26) and split it into three condition bands. Sneakers, dress shoes and boots have their own published rows.
The dataset record
Published: Salvation Army Shoes $4-$26; Goodwill NNE men's Shoes $3-$30; Goodwill average price list Shoes $6. Lower-median L*=$3, H*=$26; 35/70 tier split per CITATIONS.md; suggested $7 fair / $15 good / $23 like new.
The same rules apply to every item: how the values are built. Want a different condition? Look up this pair of shoes in the value tool.
- Like new
- Barely worn, clean soles, no creasing, ideally with the box or tags.
- Good
- Tread and heel tips intact, insoles not collapsed, no odor, both shoes.
- Fair
- Visible sole wear or creasing, still sound and wearable.
What drives the value of a donated pair of shoes
The tier you pick is the biggest lever on this page. Here is what actually decides it.
Shoes are priced by type rather than by brand in these guides, and the spread between types is wide. Everyday and dress shoes, athletic shoes, and boots each carry their own line, and the men's and women's tables do not agree with each other, so the row you pick matters more than any judgement about the tier. Ankle boots in particular are published separately from taller boots, which is worth checking before logging a pair.
The sole tells the truth about condition. Look at whether the tread is worn smooth at the heel strike and the ball of the foot, whether the heel tip on a dress shoe or a heel has worn down to the nail, and whether the outsole has begun to separate from the upper. On the inside, a collapsed insole with a visible footprint and a crushed heel counter both mean the shoe has taken the shape of one person and will not sell.
Two things resale shops reject outright: odor, which no photograph shows and no buyer forgives, and shoes donated singly. Both shoes, same pair, same size, or it is not a donation. Original boxes, spare laces, and dust bags all support a like-new claim and are worth keeping with the pair.
What Salvation Army and Goodwill list for shoes
Each guide prints one band per row across every condition, and they draw rows differently: some split men's and women's, some print one shoe row for everyone. We take the lower median of the published lows and highs and split it into three condition tiers. Salvation Army and Goodwill values are compared in full on the blog.
| Guide | Row | Published range |
|---|---|---|
| Salvation Army | Men's shoes | $4 to $26 |
| Salvation Army | Women's shoes | $2 to $26 |
| Goodwill Northern New England | Men's and women's shoes | $3 to $30 |
| Goodwill of Central and Northern Arizona | Shoes | $4 to $11 |
| Goodwill average price list | Shoes | $6 point value |
| DeductiBee 2026.1 | Men's everyday shoes, all conditions | $3 to $26 |
What each problem does to the value
Flip the pair over first. The sole is where the tier is decided, and it is the photo almost nobody takes.
| Issue | What to check | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Tread worn smooth | Heel strike and ball of the foot | Moves to Fair |
| Heel tip down to the nail | Back of a dress shoe or heel | Moves to Fair |
| Outsole separating | Where sole meets upper | Not deductible |
| Collapsed insole | A visible footprint inside | Moves to Fair |
| Crushed heel counter | The back of the shoe folds flat | Moves to Fair |
| Odor | Smell inside both shoes | Not deductible |
| Single shoe or mismatched sizes | Both shoes, same size | Not deductible |
| Missing laces | Laced shoes | Replace them first |
| Original box, tissue or dust bag | Kept with the pair | Supports Like new |
Where to donate shoes for a receipt
A qualified organization gives you a receipt. Retail shoe-recycling bins generally do not, so ask before assuming a deduction. From $250 in one donation you need a written acknowledgment, and past $500 of noncash gifts for the year, the Form 8283 checker walks the rest.
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 pair from the side, then flip them over and photograph both soles in one frame. The soles are what a condition claim actually rests on, and they are the frame almost nobody takes. Add the interior label with the size. A pair still in its box with the tissue in place is about as clean a like-new record as footwear can produce, so photograph the box too.
Items people log as a pair of shoes by mistake
Filing an item under the wrong line is the quietest way to end up with a number you cannot support.
Athletic shoes and sneakers
Trainers are on their own line and it sits below the general shoe row in both the men's and women's tables. Everyday leather shoes and running shoes look interchangeable in a donation bag and are not interchangeable on the form.
Boots
Boots have their own published rows, and height changes the row rather than the tier. Sorting boots out of the shoe pile before counting is the difference between a defensible total and a rounded one.
Children's shoes
Kids' footwear is priced on separate, lower lines across the girls', boys', toddlers', and infants' tables, with sneakers again split out from shoes.
Up, sideways, and out
Every value on this page comes out of the clothing section of the donation value guide, which shows the rest of the category with the same sourcing.
- ValuesClothing donation valuesThe whole category, item by item, with the published range and the source behind every line.
- ValuesChildren's shoes donation value: what a pair of kids' shoes is worthDonated kids' shoes are worth about $2 to $10 a pair. Sneakers, boots, sandals and dress shoes by condition, with Goodwill and Salvation Army figures.
- ValuesDonated handbag value: what a purse is worth for taxesA donated handbag is generally worth $2 to $10 at thrift value. What Salvation Army and Goodwill publish, valuing a designer bag from comps, a bag counter.
- ValuesHow much are donated jeans worth?A donated pair of jeans in good condition is generally worth $10 to $16, about $13. Like new runs $16 to $21. Value a whole bag pair by pair, with sources.
- ValuesWhat is a donated winter coat worth for taxes in 2026?A donated winter coat in good condition is generally worth $19 to $30 for taxes, up to $40 like new. Men's, women's and kids' ranges, sourced, and a calculator.
- CalculatorGot a whole bag of these?Estimate a mixed bag by size and contents when itemizing every piece is not realistic.
- 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 pair of shoes
Can I deduct shoes that are worn out?
Are designer or limited-edition sneakers valued differently?
Does the original box change the value?
Are donation values per shoe or per pair?
Do I list each pair separately or as "shoes"?
How much can I deduct for a bag of shoes?
Can I deduct new shoes with tags?
Are hiking or work boots worth more?
Do men's and women's shoes have different values?
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.
- 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 .
- Donation Value Guide - What is my Donation Worth?
Goodwill Northern New England
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 (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 .
- Thrift Store Valuation Guide
Catholic Charities Maine (Catholic Charities Thrift Store)
Corroborating check. Used to sanity-check a band. Never moves a figure on its own. Fetched and read .
- Valuation Guide for Goodwill Donors
Goodwill Industries International (compiled list, republished by member affiliates)
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 .
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 pair of shoes is rarely the only thing in the car.
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Condition on the record
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