Overlooked Tax Breaks

Sheena Smith of Baltimore, Maryland, has used tax preparation software in the past to file her return, but last year the 48-year-old flight attendant sat down with an accountant. The move paid off, since Smith learned she was eligible for a $200 retirement savings credit, a tax break given to those with low- to moderate-income who contribute to a retirement plan. Though she had saved for retirement in years past, “I never got any credit because I didn’t know anything about it,” she says.

Such oversights can be costly. In 2009, Kansas City, Mo.-based tax preparation company H&R Block estimated that it found more than $30 million in missed deductions. Though do-it-yourself tax filers often worry that they will underpay and get audited, “when people do their taxes themselves, they typically overpay,” says Vinson D. McKennie, owner of V-MAC Financial Services, Inc.

, in Randallstown, Maryland. And unfortunately, “the IRS is not going to come after you for overpaying.”

Though you have three years to file an amended return if you missed out on a money saving deduction, the best way to stay on top of changing tax codes is to look for a certified public accountant, enrolled agent or tax attorney who undergoes continuing education courses,” says Cindy Hockenberry, research coordinator for the Appleton, Wisc.-based National Association of Tax Professionals. If you choose to go it alone, here are some credits and deductions that are often overlooked.

Saver’s Credit. Most people know they can defer paying taxes on money placed in a 401k account, but like Smith, many don’t realize they may

be eligible for a credit, as well. For 2009, married couples filing jointly with an adjusted gross income (AGI) of $55,500 or singles with an AGI of  $27,750 may qualify for a credit of up to $2,000, Hockenberry says.

Energy Credits. If you made certain environment-friendly improvements to your home this year such as installing energy efficient doors or windows or replacing your furnace you may be eligible for a credit worth 30 percent of the cost of the improvements. Many taxpayers missed these credits before when they were introduced through the Energy Policy Act of 2005 but now that they’ve been extended through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, homeowners can still benefit.

Out of pocket charitable contributions. “You go to church and write a check every week — everybody’s going to take that deduction,” says James D. Brown, national parliamentarian of the

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National Association of Black Accountants and managing partner of James D. Brown, CPA, in Teaneck, New Jersey. “But say the church had a bake sale and you contributed goods to that. The money that you spent purchasing ingredients to fry that chicken or bake that cake is a charitable contribution.”

Cost of COBRA premiums. Medical costs are typically deductible once they reach more than 7.5 percent of a taxpayer’s AGI. However, if you were out of work last year and ended up footing the bill for your health insurance through the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA), you may have easily reached that threshold, making those Cobra premiums tax deductible, says Wilma Hayes, a financial advisor for H&R Block.

Education benefits.

Tax breaks such as the Hope Credit, which is designed to help those paying for college, are often overlooked, Hayes says. The American Opportunity Tax Credit is worth up to $2,500 per student and can be applied for the first four years of post-secondary education. Student loan interest is another break many taxpayers miss, says Brown. Some parents may not be able to benefit from the deduction on student loan interest, since your modified AGI must be below $70,000 if you’re filing as a single person or $145,000 if you’re filing jointly. But the IRS allows you to treat that money as if it were a gift to the child “so the parent could pass that deduction on to the child,” says Brown.