You can count on these five write-offs to save you a bundle on your 1040

Filling out your tax return may not be much fun, but at least you can save yourself some green by taking advantage of tax breaks. These write-offs will help you pay for expenses incurred in 2009 be?cause of the rocky economy and also benefit from new and expanded goodies on the 1040 form.

Recoup job-hunting costs.

"Money you spent looking for work last year even if you didn't land a job may be deductible. But you had to be looking in what was your present line of work," says Brittney Saks of PricewaterhouseCoopers. Such 'miscellaneous' expenses (and others, like employment and outplacement agency fees) are deductible if their total exceeds 2% of your adjusted gross income. The cost of printing resumes and traveling to an interview may qualify. But buying a suit or getting your hair done to impress a potential boss won't.

Grab the new college credit.

The Hope Credit now is called the American Opportunity Credit, and it's bigger and better than ever. The maximum credit is now $2,500 (up from $1,800), and the credit can be used for up to four years of college (previously, it was only the first two years). "Congress also made it easier for more parents to claim the credit," says Bob Meighan, vice president of TurboTax software."Now, married couples with adjusted gross incomes up to $180,000 (up to $90,000 for singles) can get some or all of it. That's up from caps of $116,000 and $58,000, respectively."

Trim auto sales taxes.

Did you buy a new car last year between Feb. 17 and Dec. 31? Then you can write off at least some of its state and local sales taxes if you're married and making under $260,000, or if you're single and making less than $135,000. You don't need to itemize, but the car had to cost $49,500 or less to qualify for the write-off.

Get the home improvement credit.

After expiring in 2007, the tax credit for making your principal residence more energy efficient is back and bulked up. You now can claim 30% of the cost of expenses such as insulation and storm windows, up to a total $1,500 credit on your '09 and '10 returns (it was $500 for '07). But you must have bought and installed the items in the year you want to take the deduction, says Amy McAnarney, executive director of The Tax Institute at H&R Block. To learn which products qualify, go to energystar.gov.

Put money in an IRA.

You have until April 15 to set up and fund an IRA at a bank, brokerage or mutual fund, whether or not you file an extension. For 2009, you can invest up to $5,000; if you're 50 or older, it's $6,000. The rules are a bit tricky, so visit the IRS' website (irs.gov/retirement) to be sure you qualify. If you’re self-employed, SEP IRAs can be funded until the date you file your return.

NOTE: The web version of this article contains a correction regarding IRAs from what ran in the March 5-7, 2010 print issue.