There is still just a bit of time left (three weeks!) to take advantage of the 2009 Home Buyer Tax Credit offered to those who purchase a home on or before April 30, 2010. Over the last 11 weeks I’ve shared some pertinent information pertaining to the tax credit; to take a look at all of my posts on the subject, click here.

Over the weeks we’ve gone over pretty much everything you need to know about how the 2009 Home Buyer Tax Credit works – income guidelines, prices of homes that qualify, the date by which you must sign a contract to purchase and the date by which you must close, but we haven’t yet discussed how to claim the credit. This week, the final in the 12-week series, I’ll tell you how to get the credit if you purchase(d) a home on or before April 30, 2010.

HOW TO …

There is still time to take advantage of the 2009 Home Buyer Tax Credit offered to those who purchase a home before April 30, 2010. Over the last 10 weeks I’ve shared some pertinent information pertaining to the tax credit; to take a look at all of my posts on the subject, click here.

Here’s a recap of what I’ve shared:

First-time buyers can qualify for up to an $8,000 tax credit
To qualify as a “first-time” home buyer, an individual cannot have owned a principal residence for at least three years prior to the purchase of a new home; the history of both spouses will be considered if buyers are married
Current homeowners purchasing a new principal residence can receive up to a $6,500 tax credit
Maximum income for single tax filers to receive the credit is $125,000
Maximum income for those who file jointly is $225,000
The home …

This is the eighth in a 12-part series of weekly posts on the 2009 Home Owner Tax Credit. To see all the posts in this series, click here.

If you’re a homeowner wondering how you can improve your home’s energy efficiency, you may want to look into following some of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) guidelines for home energy efficiency.

Get Money for Home Efficiency Improvements

The federal government is offering tax credits for people who make energy efficient improvements in their home. These include replacing windows, insulation, doors, roofs, and heating and cooling systems to more energy efficient types. Solar energy systems also qualify such as geothermal heat pumps, residential fuel cell and micro-turbine systems, small wind systems, solar electric systems, and solar water heaters.

Home Energy Efficiency Tax Credit: How Much You Will Get

You will receive 30 percent of the amount of money you …