Every year the tax season shows up out of nowhere.  If you are like me, you are a control freak and do your taxes yourself. Or you are smarter than me, and have your accountant do them. Regardless of who prepares them, it is never fun. I recently spoke with a Kathryn Carlson of Carlson Accounting Services and she provided the following 2009 tax tips to help ease the pain:

The IRS estimates it will take taxpayers using Form 1040 an average 21.4 hours to complete their taxes this year. That includes record keeping, tax planning and completing and filing the return. The more complicated your return, the more time it will take to complete. Make this year less stressful, by being ready when it is time to prepare your 2009 tax return. 

If you have your returns professionally prepared, your tax professional may have given you an organizer that lets you know what items you will need for this years filing.  Consider calling your tax preparer and ask for an organizer if they don’t provide one. Use it to help gather your information; it can be a very useful tool.

Your employers, vendors, and bank are not required to have W2’s and 1099’s out until 2/1/2010 for the 2009 tax year. Year end investment statements such as 1099 div and 1099 B could even come later than the Feb 1^st date, so be sure you have all of your forms before you get started or send your packet to your tax professional.

For those of us that have small business, be sure you have your bookkeeping completed being sure to review all your credit cards and checks to be sure you have included all tax deductible expenses and if you are not using some type of bookkeeping software consider starting in 2010 to make organizing and preparation much easier.

Whether you prepare your taxes yourself or have someone do it for you, be aware of tax law changes so that their benefits don’t get missed, here are some of the many tax changes that may benefit you:

• Charities providing earthquake relief in Haiti can claim these donations on the tax return they are completing this season, according to the Internal Revenue Service. Taxpayers who itemize deductions on their 2009 return qualify for this special tax relief provision, enacted Jan. 22. Only cash contributions made to these charities after Jan. 11, 2010 and before March 1, 2010 are eligible. This includes contributions made by text message, check, credit card or debit card.
• Household improvement Energy Credits are good because they are a dollar-for-dollar reduction in tax. This is a 30% credit for skylights, outside doors, windows, pigmented roofs, high-efficiency furnaces, water heaters and central air conditioning units installed in your primary residence in 2009 and 2010. This credit is capped at $1,500, but that’s $1,500 off the cost of the improvements — and you save energy as well.
• You still might be able to claim the homebuyer credit if you have a signed contract by April 30. Congress also added a credit for long-time homeowners who purchase a new principal residence — $6,500. To qualify, a homebuyer would have had to live at least five years in a previously owned home.
• Higher educations deductions for 2009 — if your adjusted gross income isn’t more than $65,000 ($130,000 on a joint return), you can get an above-the-line deduction of as much as $4,000 for any higher-education expenses you paid. See if you qualify for the American Opportunity and Lifetime Learning credits. The American Opportunity Credit is worth as much as $2,500 per student in 2009. The Lifetime Learning Credit is worth as much as $2,000 per return. Compare the credit with the deduction, and go with the one that gives you the bigger benefit. And, if you don’t qualify for either credit, you may still be able to deduct up to $4,000 in education expenses in 2009.

And finally don’t be afraid to go to irs.gov and search for answers, the Web site is very user friendly and can be a great help to answer questions.

Arika Anderson Daniels is the principal of The PR Mavens, a boutique marketing communications agency based out of San Diego, Calif., as well as one of the founding editors of SoCalPRBlog.