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Shipping furniture to your new place can add thousands to your moving bill—sometimes even more than you paid for it. When the math leans toward the “get rid of it and buy a new one” side of the equation, you have a few options: Throw away your furniture, sell it on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace or donate it to charity.
Fortunately, many charities will handle taking furniture donations for free. Everyone wins: you can declutter your home before you move, and charities can give the furniture to people who need it.
Find out which organizations will take your old items and what you need to know before donating.
For more movement tips see best moving companies for 2024 and how plastic rolling boxes compare to cardboard ones.
7 charities that offer free collection of furniture donations
Habitat for Humanity
Working in more than 70 countries, Habitat for Humanity helps homebuyers with home construction and mortgage costs. Habitat ReStore locations sell donated furniture to help fund the work.
The list of accepted items is slightly different at each store, but couches, chairs, and bed frames are usually fine. To schedule a pickup, enter your zip code to find your local ReStore. Some stores have an online schedule, but you can also call them directly.
Benevolence
Goodwill is almost synonymous with donations, but whether it will do home visits depends on each individual location. You can use store locator to find stores in your area that you can ask for pickup.
Furniture banking network
The Furniture Bank Network is not a charity, but a directory of furniture banks throughout North America. You can use his card for find a local furniture bank in your area that accepts donations. Almost all of them offer furniture pickup, but you may have to pay a fee.
Salvation Army
One of the oldest charities offering free collection, The Salvation Army is an evangelical part of the Universal Christian Church. Donated items are sold at thrift stores to fund a variety of services, including food and shelter assistance, disaster relief and counseling.
You can schedule a pickup with the Salvation Army by entering your zip code on your website and create a list of everything you want to donate.
Take it please
Take it please is a for profit company that pays US Vietnam Veterans for your donated items. The VVA then uses these funds to assist veterans of all conflicts with claims assistance, outreach programs, and legislative advocacy.
One of the advantages of donating to Pick Up Please is the quick turnaround: it can usually pick up your donation within 24 hours. However, take it please accepts only smaller donationssuch as exercise equipment, bicycles, office chairs and bedside tables.
The arch
Dedicated to supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, The Arc has more than 600 local locations across the U.S., many of which offer free furniture pickup. You can find your local chapter hereand call or email to ask about donations. Each chapter has its own list of items it will take, but generally clothing and furniture in good condition are accepted.
Amvets
Amvets, or American Veterans, is a nonprofit, volunteer-run organization that supports veterans with claims assistance, health care and employment opportunities. Through its network of thrift stores, it sells donations to fund its programs. You can currently schedule an Amvets furniture donation pickup in Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, Texas, Oklahoma and in Washington, DC.
What you need to know about donating your furniture
Schedule your pickup early
For most organizations, the earliest available pickup date is two or more weeks away – especially during the peak summer moving months. Make sure you plan the pickup date as soon as you know the moving date and the items you will be donating.
Donations are tax deductible
Your furniture donations are tax-deductible, but they will have to meet several requirements:
- The charity you donate to must be certified as a 501(c)(3) organization. You can look them up using the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search Tool.
- According to the IRS, you can only take a deduction for your furniture donations if the items are in “good used condition or better.”
Once you’ve confirmed that your donations are tax-deductible, you’ll need to determine the fair market value. (The IRS has a helpful guide here.) If you determine that an item is valued at more than $500, you will need to complete Form 8283 with your tax return. You can also use Estimated values of Goodwill donations For more information.
Make sure your donations are accepted
Don’t assume that a charity will automatically take everything off your hands. Most organizations have detailed lists of the types of furniture they will accept.
For example, many places do not accept mattresses or box springs. In general, everything you donate must be clean and in good working order. Like Goodwill explains“Every truckload of unacceptable goods we take to the landfill is the equivalent of three days of classroom training for someone whose goal is to get and keep a job.”
Donating your furniture before you move is a great way to reduce moving costs and help someone in need. For more tips on how to save money during your move, see best places to get free moving boxes.
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