TV donation value: what a used television is worth for taxes
Updated , edition 2026.1
A working flat-screen TV in good condition is generally worth $145 to $230 as a donation, with $185 a defensible middle. Like new tops out near $300; a set with a damaged panel, or a CRT nobody will accept, is worth nothing. 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
TV donation values by condition (2026)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flat-panel TV (LED, LCD, OLED, plasma) | $230 to $300 | $145 to $230 | $60 to $145 | Source 1 for Flat-panel TV (LED, LCD, OLED, plasma)Source 2 for Flat-panel TV (LED, LCD, OLED, plasma)Source 3 for Flat-panel TV (LED, LCD, OLED, plasma)Source 4 for Flat-panel TV (LED, LCD, OLED, plasma)Source 5 for Flat-panel TV (LED, LCD, OLED, plasma)Source 6 for Flat-panel TV (LED, LCD, OLED, plasma) |
| CRT (tube) TV | No guide prices this one. Enter your own figure and keep the evidence for it. | |||
| Rear-projection TV | No guide prices this one. Enter your own figure and keep the evidence for it. | |||
| Soundbar / home theater system | No guide prices this one. Enter your own figure and keep the evidence for it. | |||
| 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. Back to the full chart of donation values by item, or add this to a list. Got a receipt for this? Check it.
Our sources publish one band for every flat-panel size. CRT and rear-projection sets have no range and are refused by most charities. Soundbar and Blu-ray rows are here for a living-room clear-out.
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
$185
Supported range $145 to $230
- 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
Three charity guides publish a general working-TV range: the Salvation Army ($78 to $233), St. Vincent de Paul Cincinnati ($50 to $300) and Goodwill Central and Northern Arizona ($60 to $1,200). We take the median low and high, $60 to $300, which discards the Arizona $1,200 ceiling, and apply the $60 to $300 band to flat-panel sets, because those publishers only resell modern working sets. A large or recent model can be worth more: use comparable sales.
The dataset record
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.
The same rules apply to every item: how the values are built. Want a different condition? Look up this television in the value tool.
- Like new
- Recent set, unmarked panel, remote and stand present, box or manual kept.
- Good
- Works, clean panel with no lines or pressure marks, remote and stand present.
- Fair
- Works, but older, the remote or stand is missing, or its apps no longer update.
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.
Find your TV's tier in five questions
Does it power on and show a clean full-screen image, with no lines, cracks, pressure marks or dark bands? If not, it is worth $0 and is not deductible; see the recycling note below. What kind of panel is it? LED, LCD, OLED and plasma use the flat-panel row; CRT and rear-projection sets have no range.
What is the model year, from the label on the back? Older than about five years, check that the charity will take it, and once its smart platform no longer updates, cap it at Fair. Are the remote and the original stand or feet present? If either is missing, cap it at Fair. Screen size never changes the band, but a recent large set is the case for the comparable-sales check below.
The receipt line to ask for reads like this: "One 55-inch LED television, 2021, [brand and model], working, remote and stand included, good used condition."
What the charities publish for a TV
No guide splits televisions by size or panel type, and the figures run from a single $9.99 point to a $1,200 ceiling. Why our values can look lower explains how we consolidate them.
| Publisher | Label as published | Figure |
|---|---|---|
| Salvation Army | TV (Color Working) | $78 to $233 |
| St. Vincent de Paul Cincinnati | Televisions (color) | $50 to $300 |
| Goodwill Ohio Valley | Televisions (Color) | $50 to $300 |
| Goodwill Central and Northern Arizona | Televisions | $60 to $1,200 |
| Kokomo Rescue Mission | Flat Screen Television | $25 to $200 |
| DeductiBee 2026.1 | Flat-panel TV, all conditions | $60 to $300 |
Is my TV worth more than the band?
The guide band describes a typical used set; a recent large OLED is a different item. Find up to three sold listings for the same model in the same condition and use the middle price. That is the comparable-sales method in Publication 561. Some charity guides suggest 30% of the purchase price as a sanity check; it is a rule of thumb, not an IRS rule.
Keep the listings with your records whenever your figure is above $300. Above $500 of noncash gifts for the year, run the Form 8283 checker; above $5,000, a qualified appraisal generally applies.
Will they take it, and what if they will not
The Salvation Army generally takes working sets under about five years old, no console models, with the power cord. Habitat ReStore acceptance varies by store: some take flat screens and some refuse TVs entirely. Most charities refuse CRT sets. Check that the charity is a qualified organization and ask for a receipt that names the set.
If nobody will take it, e-waste recycling and manufacturer or retailer take-back programs are the route. A recycling or haul-away fee is generally not a charitable contribution (Publication 526).
What a donated TV is worth in tax
$185 at a 22% bracket is about $41, and only if you itemize. The 2026 non-itemizer deduction generally covers cash gifts only, so a TV does not qualify. A TV rarely goes alone: add the soundbar, the console and the discs in the donation calculator and watch the total against the $500 Form 8283 line.
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
- Turntable / record player$44, 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.
- ValuesLaptop donation value: what a used laptop is worth for taxesA used laptop in good condition is generally worth $37 to $50 donated. See the range by condition, when a newer model needs sold comps, and what to keep.
- ValuesCell phone donation value: what a used phone is worth for taxes in 2026A donated cell phone is generally worth $25 to $100, about $65 in good shape. Tablet and e-reader values, the locked-phone rule, and how to price a newer model.
- ValuesHow much are donated video games worth for taxes?Donated video games run about $3 each on Goodwill guides, consoles $20 to $50. Sourced ranges by condition, when a title is worth more, and what to reset first.
- ValuesHow much are donated DVDs and CDs worth?Donated DVDs and CDs are worth $2 to $5 each by condition, VHS tapes and vinyl about $1. Count a stack by format and get a cited total for your taxes.
- 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?
Will Goodwill or the Salvation Army take my TV?
What is a 55-inch or 65-inch TV worth as a donation?
My TV is more than 5 years old. Can I still deduct it?
Can I deduct what I paid for my TV?
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.
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