Surprising Tax Breaks to Cut Your 2009 Bill

A grab bag of goodies

Finally, there are other random write-offs that defy categorization but may be worth dollars to your bottom line.

Lottery tickets. Did you have significant gambling winnings in 2009? If so, you have to declare them as income. But you can deduct against those winnings all of your gambling losses, including lottery tickets you bought.

Energy improvements. If you installed energy-efficient items such as skylights, a water heater, or new or replacement doors and windows, you get a tax credit of 30 percent of the cost, up to a combined total of $1,500 for 2009 and 2010. So if you didn’t max this credit out in 2009, there’s still time to go shopping in 2010. Check out the Department of Energy’s Energy Star website for the details.

And finally, don’t forget that you can claim the cost of good financial advice and tax preparation help as a miscellaneous deduction. That seems only fair, doesn’t it?

Free help from AARP

Need more help? AARP offers free volunteer-run tax preparation help through its Tax-Aide program.

Linda Stern is a freelance journalist who writes about financial issues.