Special AMT break: Amend your tax return for an AMT refund. Under certain circumstances, state and local tax deductions as well as miscellaneous deductions, which lower your regular taxable income but not your alternative minimum tax (AMT) taxable income, might have raised the capital gains rate you paid under the AMT. This was caused by a wording quirk in the law, which Congress retroactively fixed last year. People who have high capital gains or dividend income but little regular taxable income-such as retirees-were most likely to be affected. AMT calculations can be extremely complex. Consult your tax adviser to find out if you can amend prior years' returns.

Kristin Hill, senior tax manager, Deloitte Tax LLP, San Francisco.