If you are choosing to itemize your tax return for 2014, there are some common tax deductions to keep in mind. Time Warner Cable News’ Tara Lynn Wagner filed this Money Matters report.

When it comes to deductions, taxpayers have two choices:  to itemize or not to itemize. Many people choose to take the standard deduction and spare themselves hours in front of a calculator. For 2014, the standard deduction is $6,200 for a single taxpayer or $12,400 for a married couple filing jointly, more if you are over 65 or blind. However, if you think you have enough eligible expenses to take you over those thresholds, IRS Spokesperson Patricia Svarnas says by all means, start adding.

"If they are really deductions and they’re qualified deductions through the IRS you can certainly take them," she says.

Some deductions go right on your 1040 and do not require you to itemize, like student loan interest and tuition and fees. Others need to be listed on a Schedule A, like mortgage interest, real estate taxes and gifts to charity. That can be in the form of money or donated goods but you have to have proof.

"Even if it's $25 for a race, for charity, you must have a receipt," says Alan Kahn, CPA and President of AJK Financial Group.

"I often recommend people just take a picture of what you are donating and save that somewhere along with your tax records,” says Fordham Law School professor Elizabeth Maresca. “If someone came back and said what was it that you donated, ‘Oh, I donated my bedroom furniture, here's a picture.’"

Another popular deduction is the home office deduction, which involves yet another form.

"If you are using a specific piece of your home for your business, you can allocate a piece of your general home expenses - insurance, mortgage, property taxes - you can allocate that to the home office," says CPA Barry Kleiman of Untracht Early LLC.

Keep in mind, there are rules about what qualifies and what does not. For instance, the space has to be used exclusively for business. You cannot throw a desk in a guest bedroom and claim it is a home office.

Finally whether you are planning to deduct medical expenses, or business travel, or gambling losses, you need to have a receipt - even if you just scan paper receipts and save them on a hard drive. 

"I would keep them for six years, maybe seven. I keep them forever but I'm a tax lawyer and I know people aren't like me," says Maresca.

Not sure if something qualifies as a deduction? The answer is a click away.

"You can check on our website.  We have a whole list of deductions, a whole page on irs.gov that can help you determine whether or not you qualify for those," says Maresca.