How much is a donated TV worth?
Televisions lose value faster than almost anything else in a donation load, and the panel itself decides most of what is left.
- Typical value, good condition
- $185
- Published range, good condition
- $145 to $230
What a donated television 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Television, Flat-panel (LED / LCD / OLED) | $230 to $300 | $145 to $230 | $60 to $145 | Source 1 for Television, Flat-panel (LED / LCD / OLED) |
| Television, CRT / tube | No guide prices this one. Enter your own figure and keep the evidence for it. | Source 7 for Television, CRT / tube | ||
| Television, Rear-projection | No guide prices this one. Enter your own figure and keep the evidence for it. | Source 7 for Television, Rear-projection | ||
| Soundbar / home theater system | No guide prices this one. Enter your own figure and keep the evidence for it. | Source 7 for Soundbar / home theater system | ||
| Blu-ray player | $65 to $80 | $48 to $65 | $30 to $48 | Source 5 for Blu-ray player |
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 BAND - not an item-specific published figure. AUDIT 2026-08-04 (adversarial re-check): every published row consolidated here is an UNQUALIFIED television row, and this leaf is one of four television variants; the sibling CRT, rear-projection and Other leaves ship custom because the pass judged the rows not to cover them. Narrowing a generic label onto one variant is exactly the case CITATIONS.md's inheritedFrom field exists to record, so the inheritance is now declared and the app must cite the guides' general television range rather than pass it off as a flat-panel row. Values unchanged. Published ranges: Salvation Army 'TV (Color Working)' $78-233; St. Vincent de Paul Cincinnati 'Televisions (color)' $50-300; Goodwill Central & Northern Arizona 'Televisions' $60-1200. Applied to the flat-panel leaf because all three publishers resell only modern working sets - Salvation Army's own acceptance policy refuses 'large console model televisions' and 'televisions older than 5 years'. Lower median L*=60 / H*=300 discards the Arizona $1,200 ceiling; tiers per CITATIONS.md 3.4-3.5. CORROBORATION 2026-08-04 (registry pass, no values changed): kokomo-rescue-mission-valuation-guide "Flat Screen Television" $25.00-$200.00. All registered corroborating, so per CITATIONS.md 3.3 they do not enter the L*/H* consolidation and the published range above is unchanged. CORROBORATION COVERAGE PASS 2026-08-04 (full-table re-read of registered sheets, no values changed): goodwill-ohio-valley-fair-market-value-sheet "Televisions (Color)" $50.00-$300.00 - numerically identical to the St. Vincent de Paul Cincinnati row already consolidated here, so it is one observation republished rather than a second; goodwill-greater-mc-donation-value-guide "TV" $9.99 point value. Both are registered corroborating, so per CITATIONS.md 3.3 neither enters the L*/H* consolidation.
- 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 television
The tier you pick is the biggest lever on this page. Here is what actually decides it.
The panel is the television. A screen with a crack, a pressure mark, a vertical line, or a dark band is not repairable at a price anyone will pay, and a set with any of those is generally not a deduction at all. That is why the single most useful thing a donor can do is photograph the set switched on and showing a full-screen bright image, which is the only way anyone can tell afterwards that the panel was clean.
Size and resolution set the ceiling, and software support sets the floor. A larger panel is worth more to a resale buyer than a smaller one in the same condition, and a set that still receives its manufacturer's updates keeps its streaming apps working, while an older smart platform slowly loses them and becomes a monitor with a tuner. Neither of those is a defect a photo shows, so note the model and year with your records.
The accessories quietly carry the tier. The original stand or feet, the screws that hold them, the remote, and the power cable if it is detachable are all model-specific, and a set donated without its feet has to be wall-mounted by whoever buys it. Older CRT and rear-projection sets are a separate case entirely: our sources publish no range for them, most charities refuse them, and disposal generally costs money rather than earning a deduction.
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.
Turn it on, put a bright full-screen image up, and take one photograph of the whole set from the front and one of the model label on the back. Include the remote and the stand in the frame. Record the screen size and model number on your own list, and if you valued a recent set above the published band, keep the comparable listings you relied on rather than the number alone.
Like new for a television generally means a recent set, unmarked panel, remote and stand present, in its box or with the manual. Good means it works, the panel is clean, and the accessories are mostly there. Fair means it works but is dated, scuffed, missing the remote, or the stand has been replaced with something generic. Anything with a mark on the panel is below Fair, which means it is not deductible.
Items people log as a television by mistake
Filing an item under the wrong line is the quietest way to end up with a number you cannot support.
Computer monitor
A monitor is priced on the computer equipment row, not here, and generally well below a television of the same size. It has no tuner and usually no speakers, which is exactly why the buyer pool is different.
CRT and rear-projection sets
Our sources publish no range for either, and this page shows that honestly rather than as a number. Most charities will not accept them, and a contribution nobody accepted is not a deduction.
Soundbar or home theater
Also unpriced by our sources. Audio gear ages differently from panels, so recent comparable sales of the same model are the evidence, and the subwoofer and remote belong with it.
Up, sideways, and out
Every value on this page comes out of the electronics section of the donation value guide, which shows the rest of the category with the same sourcing.
Also in Audio-Video Equipment
- Stereo system$49, good
- Radio$15, good
- DVD player$12, good
- VCR$12, good
- Speaker, Bookshelf / wired$36, good
- Speaker, Other$36, good
Full ranges, all three tiers, and the sources for each are in the electronics valuation guide.
- ValuesElectronics donation valuesThe whole category, item by item, with the published range and the source behind every line.
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- 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.
- 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 television
Why is my old CRT television worth nothing?
Does screen size change the donation value?
Is a smart TV worth more than a regular one?
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 .
- Valuation Guide for St. Vincent de Paul - Cincinnati Donors
Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Cincinnati (St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Shops)
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 .
- 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 .
- 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 - 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 .
- 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 television is rarely the only thing in the car.
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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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