Tax Deduction Finder
People overpay tax every year by missing deductions and credits they qualify for — for work expenses, education, home office, dependents, charitable giving, or life events. This surfaces the commonly-missed ones relevant to your situation so you can research them or bring them to your preparer — while being explicit that tax rules vary by country and year and this isn't tax advice.
What This Skill Produces
- A tailored list — commonly-overlooked deductions/credits that may fit your job, family, and life events
- What each needs — the records/receipts required to actually claim it
- Priority to investigate — the higher-value or most-likely-applicable ones to dig into first
- Questions for your preparer — specific things to ask so nothing's left on the table
- Clear verify flags — that eligibility, limits, and existence of each break depend on your jurisdiction and the current tax year
Required Inputs
Ask for these if not provided:
- Your situation — employment type (employed/self-employed/freelance), income sources
- Life factors — dependents, education, home ownership, home office, medical, moving, charity
- Region & year — country/state and tax year (rules change annually)
- How you file — yourself or with a preparer
- Known claims — what you already claim, to avoid repeats
Framework: Match Situation To Breaks, Then Verify
- Map deductions to the person's life. Self-employment, education, dependents, home office, medical, charitable giving, and major life events each unlock different breaks — target theirs.
- Separate deductions from credits. Credits (reduce tax directly) are often more valuable than deductions (reduce taxable income) — flag the high-value ones.
- Name the records needed. A deduction you can't document is a deduction you'll lose in an audit — list what to keep.
- Prioritize by value and likelihood. Point to the ones most worth researching first, not an exhaustive dump.
- Insist on verification. Every item is jurisdiction- and year-specific with thresholds — mark all as "confirm current rules / ask a professional," never asserted as guaranteed.
Output Format
Deduction finder: [situation] · [region] · tax year [x]
Possibly missing (verify eligibility)
| Break |
Deduction/Credit |
Who it fits |
Records needed |
| [item] |
[type] |
[situation] |
[receipts/proof] |
Dig into first: [highest-value / most-likely items].
Ask your preparer: [specific questions].
Educational only — not tax advice. Eligibility, limits, and whether a break exists depend on your country/state and the tax year. Confirm current rules or consult a tax professional before claiming.
Quality Checks
Anti-Patterns
- Asserting a deduction exists as fact — rules vary by place and year.
- A generic dump ignoring the person's situation.
- Ignoring documentation needed to actually claim it.
- Confusing credits and deductions.
- Posing as tax advice rather than prompts to verify/ask a pro.
Example Trigger Phrases
- "What tax deductions am I missing as a freelancer?"
- "Are there tax breaks for having a home office?"
- "Help me find deductions I can claim before I file."
- "What credits might I qualify for with two kids and student loans?"
- "Questions to ask my accountant so I don't overpay tax."
1---2name: tax-deduction-finder3description: Surface the personal tax deductions and credits you might be missing — so you can research them or raise them with your tax preparer before you file. Use when asked what tax deductions can I claim, am I missing any tax breaks, deductions for [job/situation], or help me lower my tax bill. Produces a tailored list of commonly-missed deductions/credits for your situation, what records each needs, the ones worth digging into, and clear flags to verify against current rules or a professional. Educational — not tax advice, and rules vary by country and year.4---5
6# Tax Deduction Finder
7
8People overpay tax every year by missing deductions and credits they qualify for — for work expenses, education, home office, dependents, charitable giving, or life events. This surfaces the commonly-missed ones relevant to *your* situation so you can research them or bring them to your preparer — while being explicit that tax rules vary by country and year and this isn't tax advice.
9
10## What This Skill Produces
11
12- **A tailored list** — commonly-overlooked deductions/credits that may fit your job, family, and life events
13- **What each needs** — the records/receipts required to actually claim it
14- **Priority to investigate** — the higher-value or most-likely-applicable ones to dig into first
15- **Questions for your preparer** — specific things to ask so nothing's left on the table
16- **Clear verify flags** — that eligibility, limits, and existence of each break depend on your jurisdiction and the current tax year
17
18## Required Inputs
19
20Ask for these if not provided:
21- **Your situation** — employment type (employed/self-employed/freelance), income sources
22- **Life factors** — dependents, education, home ownership, home office, medical, moving, charity
23- **Region & year** — country/state and tax year (rules change annually)
24- **How you file** — yourself or with a preparer
25- **Known claims** — what you already claim, to avoid repeats
26
27## Framework: Match Situation To Breaks, Then Verify
28
291. **Map deductions to the person's life.** Self-employment, education, dependents, home office, medical, charitable giving, and major life events each unlock different breaks — target theirs.
302. **Separate deductions from credits.** Credits (reduce tax directly) are often more valuable than deductions (reduce taxable income) — flag the high-value ones.
313. **Name the records needed.** A deduction you can't document is a deduction you'll lose in an audit — list what to keep.
324. **Prioritize by value and likelihood.** Point to the ones most worth researching first, not an exhaustive dump.
335. **Insist on verification.** Every item is jurisdiction- and year-specific with thresholds — mark all as "confirm current rules / ask a professional," never asserted as guaranteed.
34
35## Output Format
36
37### Deduction finder: [situation] · [region] · tax year [x]
38
39**Possibly missing** (verify eligibility)
40| Break | Deduction/Credit | Who it fits | Records needed |
41|---|---|---|---|
42| [item] | [type] | [situation] | [receipts/proof] |
43
44**Dig into first:** [highest-value / most-likely items].
45**Ask your preparer:** [specific questions].
46
47> Educational only — not tax advice. Eligibility, limits, and whether a break exists depend on your country/state and the tax year. Confirm current rules or consult a tax professional before claiming.
48
49## Quality Checks
50- [ ] Deductions/credits are matched to the person's actual situation
51- [ ] Distinguishes higher-value credits from deductions
52- [ ] Lists the records needed to claim each
53- [ ] Prioritizes what to investigate first
54- [ ] Flags everything as jurisdiction/year-specific — verify or ask a pro
55- [ ] States it isn't tax advice
56
57## Anti-Patterns
58- **Asserting a deduction exists** as fact — rules vary by place and year.
59- **A generic dump** ignoring the person's situation.
60- **Ignoring documentation** needed to actually claim it.
61- **Confusing credits and deductions.**
62- **Posing as tax advice** rather than prompts to verify/ask a pro.
63
64## Example Trigger Phrases
65- "What tax deductions am I missing as a freelancer?"
66- "Are there tax breaks for having a home office?"
67- "Help me find deductions I can claim before I file."
68- "What credits might I qualify for with two kids and student loans?"
69- "Questions to ask my accountant so I don't overpay tax."
Mohit Aggarwal