It's tax season again and time to get out all your personal information to do your income tax for last year. If you are more inclined to save money by doing your own taxes and you haven't done them before it can be a daunting task. When you first sit down to do your tax return it is a good idea to have everything you need in front of you, so it will go faster.

If you have all of your information together and in one spot, doing your own taxes can be quick and easy. And it can also save you money. Although the fee that you pay to a tax consultant is tax deductible the next year, many people prefer to do their own taxes.

The first thing you have to decide is which form or forms you will use. If you have a simple return you probably can use 1040EZ which is a one of the shortest and quickest tax forms to use. If you are itemizing you will use income tax form 1040 or 1040A and if you have a small business you will add a Schedule C.

The good news is you can find out which income tax forms you need easily, by checking the booklet from the IRS that comes in the mail. If you don't get one in the mail the public library usually has the forms.

According to an MSN Money article, the average tax payer took about 24 hours to fill out their simple tax return in 2007. If they added a Schedule C or other forms it took longer. A good way to do your taxes is to use the IRS Tax filing online option or you can use a program like TurboTax or TaxCut, both of which are available online.

The nice thing about using income tax software is that it automatically lets you know when there is a deduction you can take that you may not know about. It will ask you questions about certain items that you may not normally think are deductible. This is a great help and gets you through the tax return forms quicker.

To do your own taxes you will also need to understand the tax codes and the information that comes from the IRS about what you can deduct and what you cannot. It is a good idea to get the information ahead of time so that you can study it before tax time.

Usually an individual with a simple and straight forward tax return will not necessarily need a tax professional to help them. However, if you find yourself with a more complicated situation you may want the help of an income tax professional so that you make sure you get the appropriate tax deduction you need.

Melissa Sequiera is an experienced freelance writer and Chief Editor of The Freelance Writing Desk.