In the midst of a recession, it's safe to assume that many consumers are budgeting every last dollar and cutting back on expenses.
If your answer is yes to the following questions, you can try to maximize your tax returns in areas you may have overlooked.
These are just a few areas where you may be able to hold onto some of your earnings.
Need to buy uniforms for work? If you are required to buy uniforms for your job and are not reimbursed by your employer, this is a tax deductible expense.
Looking for a job? If you were recently laid off and are looking for a job in the same field, you can deduct the expense of your job search.
This includes; the cost of printing resumes, traveling to job interviews, and even long distance calls to prospective employers.
Have kids in college? If you earn less than $64,000 you can generally deduct up to $4,000 worth of your child's college expenses.
Visit the doctor often? If you visit your doctor's office regularly, you can deduct the mileage to and from your medical appointments.
This varies between 19-27 cents per mile.
Parking fees can also be deducted.
Are you going to file your taxes yourself? During this tax season, you can deduct the cost of filing your 2008 tax returns.
This means you can deduct accountant fees if you pay someone to do it for you, or the cost of purchasing software like TurboTax if you file your own taxes.
For more details on the above tips, visit www.
irs.
gov or consult a tax professional.