(FORTUNE Magazine) – STOP! Before you seal that envelope and run off to the post office, take a look to see if you can save yourself a few bucks with these last-minute tax tips:

Fund an SEP. If you have outside income--from consulting, say, or director's fees--you can set up a simplified employee pension plan (SEP) before April 15. The IRS allows you to contribute up to 13.04% of net self-employment income. Suppose you netted $50,000 as a consultant; contribute $6,500 to an SEP and deduct that from your 1995 return.

Deduct medical costs. Does 7.5% of adjusted gross income seem unreachable? It's not, says Steve O'Rourke, a tax professional in Appleton, Wisconsin: "Braces, crutches, hearing aids, health insurance, mileage to and from doctors, hotel bills for a sick child--it adds up fast."

Disasters that pay. It was a year of hurricanes, tornadoes, flash floods, and fires. If you suffered property damage in such disasters and are a resident of a presidentially declared disaster area, you may be eligible for tax relief. Uninsured losses can be deductible if they exceed 10% of adjusted gross income.

Remember charity giving. Don't forget noncash giving that doesn't appear in your checkbook register: clothing or items donated to the Salvation Army, for example; even out-of-pocket expenses on behalf of a charity, like ferrying the Girl Scouts around. The fair-market value of donated items can be deducted; you can also lop off 12 cents per mile driven on behalf of charity.

--John Wyatt