WMNS--If you're having trouble starting your 2004 income taxes, don't despair. Following are ten tax breaks that could provide the motivation, and tax savings, you need:

1. CASUALTY DEDUCTION. You can claim a deduction for casualty and theft losses over a certain dollar amount. If you live in a federally declared disaster area, you may qualify for other tax breaks as well. Check at http://www.irs.gov/ and http://www.fema.gov/.

2. SALES-TAX DEDUCTION. As part of its corporate tax relief package, Congress reinstituted an itemized deduction for state and local sales taxes for 2004 and 2005. This allows taxpayers to itemize state income taxes or state sales taxes, but not both.

Taxpayers who itemize and reside in states that have sales tax but no income tax should welcome the change. Taking the deduction for sales taxes instead of income taxes may also make sense if your state income taxes are low.

3. QUALIFIED DIVIDEND INCOME. Several categories of investment income exist on Form 1099 including "qualified dividend income," which is taxed at the same low rate as long-term capital gains, 15 percent or 5 percent, depending on your regular tax bracket.

"Ordinary dividends" are taxed at your ordinary marginal rate, which is typically higher. Make sure to take advantage of the lower rate whenever possible.

4. MORTGAGE OR MOVING EXPENSES. If you've refinanced your home to get a lower rate, any points paid can be deducted on an annual basis amortized over the life of the loan.

Unamortized points on a previous refinancing can be deducted in full in the year of the subsequent refinancing. Also, if you moved for work-related reasons this year, you may be able to deduct some out-of-pocket moving costs.

5. WORK-RELATED EXPENSES. You may be able to deduct non-reimbursed expenses related to your job, such as research materials, uniforms or union dues, though these remain subject to the 2 percent of adjusted gross income floor for miscellaneous itemized deductions.

6. INVESTMENT AND TAX-PREPARATION EXPENSES. Certain investment fees and other costs related to the production of income and/or tax preparation may be deductible.

These are also subject to the 2 percent of adjusted gross income floor for miscellaneous itemized deductions.

7. HEALTH INSURANCE PREMIUMS FOR THE SELF-EMPLOYED. If you are self-employed and not eligible to participate in another employer-paid plan, 100 percent of your health insurance premiums can be deducted.

8. EDUCATION EXPENSES. You may be able to claim an above-the-line deduction or a dollar-for-dollar tax credit for qualified education expenses which you, your spouse or children incur. You may also be eligible for a student loan interest deduction.

9. NON-CASH CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTIONS. Keep track of non-cash charitable contributions. Most charities will provide a range of thrift values for commonly donated items.

You'll still need a receipt to substantiate your gift in the event of an audit. Any mileage you incur in the course of your charitable volunteer work may be deductible as well.

10. TSUNAMI RELIEF. Congress extended the normal year-end deadline for claiming 2004 charitable contributions for the tsunami relief effort. Donations for tsunami victims made during January 2005 can be claimed on either your 2004 or 2005 federal return, but not both.

THE BOTTOM LINE: You can always file a request for an automatic extension, pushing back the due date of your federal tax return until August 15. However, any tax you owe is still due by April 15, so be sure to submit your payment based on your best estimate.

Finally, it's never too early to think about next year. Running a projection of your 2005 taxes will help you to take taxes into account in making key financial decisions such as how much to contribute to an IRA, whether tax-free municipal bonds make sense and the potential benefits of tax-loss harvesting. It's not just what you make that counts, but what you keep.