How much can you deduct for a donated T-shirt?
Tees are the highest-volume item in most donation bags and the lowest-value one per piece, which makes counting them accurately worth more than arguing about the tier.
- Typical value, good condition
- $3.75
- Published range, good condition
- $2.75 to $4.50
What a donated t-shirt 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| T-shirt | $4.50 to $6 | $2.75 to $4.50 | $1 to $2.75 | Source 1 for T-shirt |
| T-shirtMen's Clothing | $4.50 to $6 | $2.75 to $4.50 | $1 to $2.75 | Source 2 for T-shirt |
| Tank top | $4.50 to $6 | $2.75 to $4.50 | $1 to $2.75 | Source 1 for Tank top |
| Tank topMen's Clothing | $4.50 to $6 | $2.75 to $4.50 | $1 to $2.75 | Source 2 for Tank top |
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: goodwill-gii-donor-valuation-guide "T-shirts (Women's)" $1-$6. Consolidated by lower median to L*=$1, H*=$6; tiers split at 0/35/70/100% of the span per CITATIONS.md §3.4-3.6. Single primary source.
- 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 t-shirt
The tier you pick is the biggest lever on this page. Here is what actually decides it.
A T-shirt sits near the bottom of the clothing tables on purpose. It is the garment resale shops receive most and sell cheapest, and the published band reflects a plain cotton tee rather than anything with a story attached. Tank tops share that band. A knit polo, a button-down, or a tunic does not: those are priced on the shirt and blouse lines, which sit meaningfully higher, so what looks like one drawer is two rows.
Condition on a tee comes down to four things a photograph shows immediately: whether the neckband has gone wavy, whether the underarms are stained or yellowed, whether the body has pilled, and whether the printed graphic has cracked or flaked. A cracked print is not automatically fatal, since worn graphics sell, but a stretched neck generally is, because nobody buys a shirt that will not sit flat.
Event, band, and sports tees occasionally sell for far more than any published clothing band. If that is genuinely what you gave, the number has to come from comparable sales you can point to, not from the general tee row with optimism applied. Note the print, the year, and the tag while you still have the shirt.
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 a stack of shirts spread out so each one is visible rather than folded, since the count is the part of a tee donation most likely to be questioned and a single frame can support a dozen lines. Add one close shot of a representative neckband and underarm. For a like-new claim, a tee still folded with its tag on is about as clean as evidence gets.
Items people log as a t-shirt by mistake
Filing an item under the wrong line is the quietest way to end up with a number you cannot support.
Polo shirts and button-downs
A collared knit polo or a woven button-down is priced on the shirt line, above the tee band, in both the men's and women's tables. Sorting the collared shirts out of the tee pile before you count is usually worth more than the time it takes.
Sweatshirts and hoodies
Fleece tops are filed under activewear rather than shirts and carry their own higher range. A hoodie is not a heavy T-shirt as far as these sources are concerned.
Children's T-shirts
Kids' tees have their own line and a lower band, split across the girls', boys', toddlers', and infants' tables. A bag of mixed adult and children's shirts is two sets of rows, not one.
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.
Also in Blouses and Shirts
- Blouse$8, good
- Button-down shirt$8, good
- Polo shirt$8, good
- Tunic$8, good
- Sleeveless top$3.75, good
- Vest$6, good
Full ranges, all three tiers, and the sources for each are in the clothing valuation guide.
- ValuesClothing 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.
- 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.
- ValuesHow much is a donated dress worth?What a donated dress is generally worth, why formal and cocktail dresses sit on a higher published line, and what evidence supports the tier you pick.
- 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 t-shirt
Is it worth logging individual T-shirts?
Can I deduct a T-shirt with a small stain?
Are band or vintage tees valued differently?
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
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 .
- 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 .
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 t-shirt is rarely the only thing in the car.
DeductiBee carries this same dataset on your iPhone, so the rest of the load gets valued and photographed at the drop-off instead of reconstructed in April.
Same numbers, offline
Edition 2026.1 ships inside the app, so a value never depends on a server being up in January.
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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