Don't mix them up - many people omit the wrong ones. If in doubt, check your Tax Return Guide or ask your benefits office.

If you are a higher rate taxpayer and made Gift Aid or Deed of Covenant payments to charities you can claim the higher rate relief. Set out the payments, excluding the tax you can deduct.

There are many other tips that depend on the extra pages you get.

For example, Make sure you claim all the rental expenses, including mortgage interest if you are renting out property.

If you received a windfall payment, bear in mind that most are taxable, normally as capital gains.

What about calculating my own tax bill?

If you can possibly avoid calculating your own tax bill then make sure you do.

Ideally you'll get your return in by 30 September so that you can leave this to the taxman.

If you don't, then the tip really has to be to allow lots of time and go through the tax calculation guide - it runs on for 29 pages.

You should also try and work out a rough tax figure on a bit of paper to check against the one produced by the tax calculation guide.

You may want to get the Revenue to help - they may still do so if you call in at your local tax office.

But, to be fair, if you have no capital gains, then the guide is do-able.

And now to checking

Do have a look at what the Revenue have sent you.

At various stages there will be taxpayer statements coming your way - look through, check what is on them and make sure you are happy with the figures.

If the Revenue have calculated your tax bill, do your own rough calculation to make sure they are in the right ballpark, there have been plenty of instances where things have gone awry.

I've finished!!!

No - not quite.

Like an exam paper, read it through. Does the number you came up with make sense?

Compare it with last year's return - does it look similar? If by any chance you've messed up your tax return, don't photocopy someone else's.

That will really mess up the system as everyone has their own taxpayer reference number and you wouldn't want your details on some one else's tax file? Finally, sign it, photocopy it and send it off in good time in the envelope the Revenue generously provided. Don't forget to put a stamp on it.

If you are sending it off near to the 31 January deadline, don't forget you have to pay your tax - including a payment on account in many cases.

What's my prize for completing it?

The prize is somewhat negative - avoidance of the famous �100 penalty for a late return.

And the knowledge that there's every chance you'll get another return to fill in next year.