Original ItsDeducted Research · 2026 Edition · Published August 20, 2026
The 2026 ItsDeducted Donation Research Report
An analysis of 25,879 physical donated goods and approximately $196,000 in estimated fair market value, showing what donors documented, how recorded estimates varied by category and condition, and what a typical completed donation looked like.
ItsDeducted launched in April 2026 following TurboTax’s October 2025 discontinuation of ItsDeductible. This report is the inaugural edition of an ongoing ItsDeducted Research series examining anonymized, aggregated data about noncash charitable donations documented through the platform.
Key findings
Clothing was the largest donation category, accounting for 38.4% of physical goods
Clothing represented 38.4% of the physical goods in the snapshot and appeared in 55.8% of completed donations. The median completed donation also spanned two item categories, underscoring that documented donations often included more than one item type. These observations describe this anonymized platform snapshot—not all U.S. charitable donations or IRS-set values.
What is a typical physical good worth?
A typical estimated value was $5 per physical good
Here, “typical” means the middle value after accounting for the quantity represented by each item record. Larger, higher-value goods can pull an arithmetic average upward. Across all 25,879 physical goods, total estimated fair market value was $196,293.62—or approximately $7.59 per physical good on average.
Neither number is a fixed price. IRS Publication 561 explains that fair market value depends on the specific property and relevant market evidence. Read our fair market value guide or practical valuation process for more context.
Why median matters here
Donation data contain many lower-value everyday goods alongside a smaller number of more valuable items. This report generally uses medians to describe what is typical without letting those higher-value goods dominate the result.
What do people donate most?
Clothing made up nearly four in every ten physical donated goods
Clothing was more than three times the share of the next-largest named category. Home, Kitchen, Books, and Home decor also made up meaningful portions of the physical goods documented.
Clothing appeared in 55.8% of completed donations. In donations where clothing was present, the median completed donation included 13 physical clothing goods representing $117 in estimated clothing value.
Home-related categories were also common: Home represented 10.1% of physical goods, Kitchen 9.1%, and Home decor 7.8%. The most common two-category combination was Clothing + Home, appearing in 30.3% of completed donations.
| Category | Physical goods | Share of goods | Donations containing category |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clothing | 9,946 | 38.4% | 55.8% |
| Home | 2,616 | 10.1% | 43.3% |
| Kitchen | 2,365 | 9.1% | 28.5% |
| Books | 2,314 | 8.9% | 21.0% |
| Home decor | 2,014 | 7.8% | 43.3% |
| Toys | 998 | 3.9% | 21.4% |
| Electronics | 877 | 3.4% | 18.7% |
| Shoes | 624 | 2.4% | 23.2% |
| Sports | 577 | 2.2% | 21.9% |
| Furniture | 319 | 1.2% | 16.9% |
| Jewelry | 264 | 1.0% | 8.0% |
Source: ItsDeducted 2026 production research snapshot. Other and smaller categories are not shown in this table but are included in dataset totals.
2026 donation values by category
Furniture and appliances had the highest major-category median recorded per-unit estimates
Among categories with at least 50 underlying item records, furniture and appliances each had a $25 median recorded per-unit estimate. That was more than eight times the $3 median for books and kitchen goods.
Category medians describe the middle of recorded per-unit estimates across underlying item records—not the typical-value measure that accounts for quantity, or universal prices for every item. Use the category guides for more item-specific context.
| Category | Median estimated value per unit | Physical goods analyzed |
|---|---|---|
| Furniture | $25.00 | 319 |
| Appliances | $25.00 | 146 |
| Shoes | $12.00 | 624 |
| Sports | $12.00 | 577 |
| Electronics | $10.84 | 877 |
| Jewelry | $10.00 | 264 |
| Clothing | $7.00 | 9,946 |
| Toys | $7.00 | 998 |
| Home decor | $7.00 | 2,014 |
| Home | $5.00 | 2,616 |
| Books | $3.00 | 2,314 |
| Kitchen | $3.00 | 2,365 |
Categories with fewer than 50 underlying item records are excluded from this comparison. Medians are calculated across underlying item records using the final recorded per-unit estimate.
How condition affects donated-item value
Condition changed the typical recorded estimate
of physical goods were recorded as Good condition.
median recorded per-unit estimate for New condition.
median recorded per-unit estimate for Good condition.
median recorded per-unit estimate for Fair condition.
Clothing makes the pattern easy to see
For clothing—the largest category—the median recorded per-unit estimate declined from $14 for New to $7 for Good and $3 for Fair. These condition fields are product-recording fields, not legal determinations of deductibility.
For furniture, Good-condition item records had a $30 median recorded per-unit estimate compared with $15 for Fair-condition furniture. The smaller New-furniture sample is not used here to characterize a broader pattern.
Condition is one input—not the whole valuation
A condition label helps set a starting point, but estimated fair market value also depends on the item itself, completeness, and realistic used-market context. See IRS Publication 561, our Publication 561 guide, and the practical valuation guide for more context.
How large is a typical donation?
The median completed donation contained 17 goods worth $152 in estimated FMV
The average donation was much larger—58.95 physical goods and $447.14 in estimated FMV—because the dataset includes a long tail of much larger drop-offs. That is why the report uses the median to describe a typical completed donation.
| Percentile | Physical goods in donation | Total estimated FMV |
|---|---|---|
| 25th | 2 | $27 |
| Median / 50th | 17 | $152 |
| 75th | ~65 | $534.25 |
| 90th | ~154 | $1,288 |
| 95th | ~261 | $1,830.35 |
Which categories are donated together?
The median completed donation spanned two item categories. The most common category pairs were Clothing + Home (30.3%), Home + Home decor (25.7%), Clothing + Home decor (24.2%), Clothing + Shoes (21.6%), Home + Kitchen (20.3%), and Clothing + Kitchen (18.9%).
A notable shoe association
93.1% of completed donations that contained shoes also contained clothing. This is a co-occurrence observation only; it does not establish why those categories were documented together.
Research methodology
How this report was built
This inaugural report uses an anonymized, aggregated production research snapshot generated on August 20, 2026. It includes completed donations of physical goods and excludes cash, mileage, draft donations, and a confirmed internal/test account.
It contains only the already-published summary measures in this report; no user-level or donation-level records are included.
Snapshot scope
25,879 physical donated goods · 8,933 underlying item records · 439 completed donation events · $196,293.62 in aggregate estimated FMV.
Research period
Completed donation activity created in ItsDeducted from April 6 through August 20, 2026. Activity is dated by the platform’s donation-created timestamp, not a user-entered historical donation date.
Quantity and value
One item record can represent multiple identical physical goods. Physical-good analysis uses quantity. Total estimated FMV equals the final recorded per-unit estimate multiplied by quantity.
How to read category medians
Category medians are calculated across underlying item records instead of repeating a per-unit estimate for every unit in a multi-quantity record. Physical-good shares do incorporate quantity.
Important interpretation
What this research does—and does not—tell us
- This is ItsDeducted platform data, not a probability sample of U.S. donors.
- Estimated value is not the same as a charity’s realized resale price.
- ItsDeducted values are not IRS-approved values, fixed prices, or appraisals.
- The IRS sets fair-market-value principles; the relevant facts and circumstances still matter.
Need to document a real donation?
Use the donation recordkeeping guide for what to keep with an itemized donation record, and see the Form 8283 guide for high-level context when noncash totals rise.
Frequently asked questions
2026 Donation Research FAQ
These answers summarize what the ItsDeducted research snapshot found. They are not tax advice or a substitute for reviewing the particulars of an individual donation.
What is the average value of a donated item in 2026?
In this ItsDeducted snapshot, the arithmetic average was approximately $7.59 per physical good. The median was $5, which this report uses as the better measure of a typical donated good because a smaller number of higher-value goods pull the average upward. These are platform observations, not official IRS values or national averages.
What is a typical completed donation worth?
The median completed donation in the 2026 ItsDeducted dataset contained 17 physical goods with $152 in total estimated fair market value. The 75th-percentile donation contained ~65 goods and was valued at about $534.
What is the median value of donated clothing?
The median recorded per-unit estimate among underlying clothing records was $7. For clothing recorded as New, the median was $14; for Good condition, $7; and for Fair condition, $3.
How much is donated furniture worth?
The median recorded per-unit estimate among 164 furniture records was $25. Actual fair market value still depends on the individual piece, its condition, completeness, and relevant market evidence.
How much are donated electronics worth?
The median recorded per-unit estimate among 374 electronics records was $10.84. Electronics accounted for 3.4% of physical goods but approximately 7.9% of aggregate estimated fair market value in this dataset.
Are ItsDeducted values IRS-approved?
No. ItsDeducted provides estimated fair market values and recordkeeping support. Its estimates are not IRS-set prices, qualified appraisals, or professional tax advice.
Is this a 2026 donation value guide?
This is original 2026 research based on aggregated ItsDeducted data, not a fixed IRS value chart. For an individual donation, use the donation value calculator and category guides as a starting point, then review the specific property and its condition.
Citable findings
Ready-to-reference findings from the 2026 research snapshot
- Clothing accounted for 38.4% of the 25,879 physical donated goods analyzed in the 2026 ItsDeducted research snapshot.
- Completed donations in the snapshot had a median of 17 physical goods and $152 in estimated FMV.
- The arithmetic average was approximately $7.59 per physical good; the typical per-physical-good value after accounting for quantity was $5.
- Clothing appeared in 55.8% of the 439 completed donations included in the snapshot.
- Furniture and appliances each had a $25 median recorded per-unit estimate among major categories analyzed.
- Physical goods recorded as New had a $10 median recorded per-unit estimate, compared with $7 for Good and $3.60 for Fair.
How to cite this research
Use the full report title and publication date
This report is designed to be a transparent source for journalists, researchers, tax professionals, and anyone writing about noncash donation behavior or estimated fair market value.
ItsDeducted. “What Are Donated Items Worth? The 2026 ItsDeducted Donation Research Report.” August 20, 2026. Last updated August 21, 2026.
Press & sharing resources
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ItsDeducted provides estimated fair market values and recordkeeping support. It does not provide tax, legal, or financial advice. Review your records carefully and consult a qualified tax professional when needed. For how these principles are applied inside the product, see how ItsDeducted’s Hybrid Valuation Engine works. For IRS methodology context, see IRS Publication 561.