7. Many medical costs
Taxpayers who itemize deductions know how difficult it is to reach the 7.5 percent of adjusted gross income threshold required before you can claim any medical expenses. It might be easier to clear that earnings hurdle if you don't overlook miscellaneous medical costs.

Miscellaneous medical costs

• Travel expenses to and from medical treatments at 19 cents per mile for eligible driving the first half of 2008 and 27 cents per mile for travel from July 1, 2008, through Dec. 31, 2008. • Insurance premiums you pay from already taxed income, including some long-term care insurance costs. • Uninsured medical treatments, such as vision examinations and chiropractor treatments. • Alcohol- or drug-abuse treatments. • Medically necessary weight loss programs. • Some household improvements if prescribed by a physician to treat a specific ailment.

Self-employed taxpayers who are not covered by any other employer-paid plan, one carried by a spouse for example, can deduct 100 percent of health insurance premiums as an above-the-line adjustment at the bottom of Page 1 of Form 1040.

8. Retirement tax savings
The Retirement Savers Credit was created to give moderate- and low-income taxpayers an incentive to save for retirement. When you contribute to a retirement account, either an IRA (traditional or Roth) or a workplace plan, you can get a tax savings for up to 50 percent of the first $2,000 you put into such accounts. This means you get a $1,000 tax credit, which is a tax break that directly reduces any tax you owe, as well as the $2,000 reduction in your income. Because it was designed to assist lower-income workers, this credit isn't available to all, but if you qualify, don't waste it.

9. Educational expenses
The Internal Revenue Code offers many tax-saving options for individuals who want to further their educations. "People generally think of these as applying to a person who has a child who is a full-time student," says Scharin. "But they also could be useful to someone of any age who's gone back to school or is taking a course at night."

In these cases, you have the option of the tuition and fees above-the-line deduction, which will take up to $4,000 off your taxable income, or the Lifetime Learning Credit, which could provide savings of 20 percent of tuition cost up to $10,000, or a $2,000 credit.

Don't be immediately swayed by the dollar amounts. A deduction of $4,000 is only worth a $1,000 tax cut to a filer in the 25 percent bracket. A $2,000 credit, meanwhile, means you get to subtract two grand from your tax bill, possibly zeroing out what you owe. So run the numbers for both to make sure you get the best tax advantage.

10. Real estate tax standard deduction
New for the 2008 tax year is the option to add at least some of your real estate tax payments to your standard deduction amount.

Homeowners usually claim real property taxes when they itemize and also deduct their mortgage interest. But those who have paid off their home loan or are near the end of the loan term and are paying mostly principal may find that it's better for them to claim the standard deduction. These homeowners, however, still pay property taxes. Now, thanks to a new law, they can add up to $500 of those payments if they're single, or up to $1,000 if they are married and file a joint return.

Obviously, lawmakers want eligible homeowners to take this break if it suits their tax situation, but exactly how to do so is not that obvious. Tacked onto line 39 of the long Form 1040 and line 23 of the shorter 1040A is a subline, "c," that instructs you to check the box if your standard deduction includes a property tax payment amount. This new tax break isn't available to Form 1040EZ filers, so if you want to claim it, file the 1040A instead.

And don't just enter $500 or $1,000 depending upon your filing status. Instead, you should complete the work sheet included in each form's instruction book, or in your tax software, just to be sure you're deducting the correct amount. If your property taxes are less than your allowable maximum, e.g., $400 and you're a single filer, you can only add the actual, smaller amount to your standard deduction.

Some of these tax breaks can save some filers a nice chunk of tax money. With others, the savings might be relatively small. But when it comes to taxes, every bit of savings helps. So make sure you don't overlook any of these possible tax breaks as you finish up your 2008 return.

Freelance writer Kay Bell writes Bankrate's tax stories from her Austin, Texas, home. She also writes two tax blogs, Eye on the IRS for Bankrate and Don't Mess With Taxes, and is the author of the book "The Truth About Paying Fewer Taxes."