How to Donate Your Old Clothes and Get a Tax Receipt

Take clothing in good used condition to a qualified tax-exempt charity and ask for a dated receipt when you hand over the bags. List each item, assign its thrift-store value, and keep the receipt with photos for tax time. A tax receipt is a written record from the charity showing what you gave and when.

It supports a deduction only when you itemize and meet record rules.

Verification note: Program terms and availability can change. This page was checked against linked sources on November 03, 2026.

Will your donation count for taxes?

Donors must give clothing to a qualified tax-exempt organization for any deduction to be allowed. According to the IRS, you can check an organization in the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search before you give, as explained in guidance on clothing donations in Publication 526. Many neighborhood thrift groups accept clothes, but tax status can differ by local operator.

Search the exact legal name on the receipt before you count on a deduction. Keep that name with your records.

How do you get the receipt?

Ask for the receipt at the moment you donate, not later. Goodwill Industries International says donors should ask the donation attendant for a dated receipt at drop-off, described in how Goodwill works with donors. The Salvation Army Northeast Ohio Division describes three paths in its donation process guide.

The process differs by drop-off type, so match your step to your method.

• Attended store: get a receipt from the thrift-store clerk.
• Unattended drop-box: bring an itemized list to a store or Corps for a receipt.
• Home pickup: get a receipt from the truck driver.

What condition must clothes meet?

Clothing and household goods must be in good used condition or better to be deductible. According to the IRS in Publication 526, only a narrow over-$500 appraised-item exception allows lesser-condition goods. Sort before you pack.

Set aside stained, torn, or worn-out pieces for textile recycling rather than the donation pile. Donate shirts, pants, coats, and shoes that still have wear left.

What value do you put on used clothes?

Donors deduct fair market value, not original retail cost. According to the IRS in Publication 561, that value is what thrift or consignment buyers actually pay for similar used garments. A coat bought for $90 may resell used for $18, so $18 is the deductible amount.

Goodwill Industries International notes in a 2010 partnership release that attendants do not value items, so donors must list items and assign values themselves and keep photos or inventories. Write counts and traits that affect price, such as size, brand, and wear. Take front photos of the full load and close shots of better pieces.

Save the list with the receipt.

When do you need extra forms?

Larger gifts need stronger proof. According to the IRS, donations of $250 or more need a written charity acknowledgment stating whether goods or services were received, with higher filing tiers detailed in information about Form 8283. Total noncash gifts over $500 require IRS Form 8283.

Gifts over $5,000 generally require a qualified appraisal. Track running totals when you give in several trips during one year. A receipt alone gives no added federal benefit when you take the standard deduction.

According to Charity Navigator's tax-benefits guide, clothing deductions generally help only filers who itemize on Schedule A. File the receipt with your item list and photos before you prepare Schedule A.