Retirement

IRA (Traditional or Roth) Deadline to establish the plan and the Deadline to fund the plan is April 15th of the following year.
SEP IRA - Deadline to establish the plan is the due date of the tax return, including extensions and the Deadline to fund the plan is due date of the tax return, including extensions.
Simple IRA - Deadline to establish the plan is October 1st of that year and the Deadline to fund the plan for the Employee contributions must be withheld from pay by December 31st and remitted to the investment firm as soon as reasonably possible and the Employer contribution must be made by the tax return due date, including extensions.
401-K or 403(b)- Deadline to establish the plan is October 1st of that year for safe harbor plans, otherwise December 31st of that year. Deadline to fund the plan for the Employee contributions must be withheld from pay by December 31st and remitted to the investment firm as soon as reasonably possible and the Employer contribution must be made by the tax return due date, including extensions.
Defined Benefit Plans and Profit Sharing Plans and Keough Plans must be set up by Dec 31st of that tax year.

On March 1, 2013, the Treasury department will stop mailing paper checks to Social Security recipients. Retirees will be required to choose to have their Social Security payments either directly deposited into a bank or credit union account or loaded onto a prepaid Direct Express Debit MasterCard.
New Social Security beneficiaries have been required to choose an electronic payment option since May 2011, and approximately 93 % of Social Security and Supplemental Security Income payments are already being made electronically.

The wage base in 2013 is $113,700. It’s an increase over the 2012 Social Security wage base, which was $110,100. The wage base increase follows an increase last year over the 2011 Social Security wage base, which was $106,800.
Social security taxes are the taxes that are taken from your paycheck to contribute to the social security program. However, there is a taxable wage base limit, and earnings above this amount are not taxed.

Everyone born in 1929 or later needs 40 Social Security credits to be eligible for retirement benefits. You can earn up to four credits per year, so you will need to work at least 10 years to become eligible for retirement benefits.
Each year the amount of earnings needed for a credit rises as average earnings levels rise. In 2012, you receive one credit for each $1,130 of earnings, up to the maximum of four credits per year.

The Social Security Administration, who made the wage base 2013 announcement (The wage base in 2013 is $113,700) also announced that people receiving social security benefits will get a cost of living adjustment (or COLA) adjustment in 2013. Social security benefits will go up 1.7% in 2013. They increased 3.6% in 2012.

Everyone born in 1929 or later needs 40 Social Security credits to be eligible for retirement benefits. You can earn up to four credits per year, so you will need to work at least 10 years to become eligible for retirement benefits.
Each year the amount of earnings needed for a credit rises as average earnings levels rise. In 2012, you receive one credit for each $1,130 of earnings, up to the maximum of four credits per year.
If you become disabled before age 62, the number of credits needed for entitlement to disability benefits depends on your age at the time you become disabled.
If you die before age 62, the number of credits needed for survivors to receive benefits on your record depends on your age at the time you die.

If you retire in 2013, the maximum benefit for a worker retireing at full retirement age is $2,533 a month = $30,396 a year. ($2,513 a month in 2012, $30,156 a year),
If you are age 62 in 2013 the maximum you would receive is $1,923, $23,076 a year.
If you are age 70 in 2013 the maximum you would receive is $3,350, $40,020 a year.

For each quarter of coverage the Earnings needed to earn one Social Security Credit is $1,160 ($1130 in 2012)

Your Social Security payment is figured using a complex calculation based on a 35-year average of your covered wages. Each year's wages are adjusted for inflation before being averaged.
If you worked longer than 35 years, the government will use the highest 35 years.
If you worked for less than 35 years, they'll average in zeros for the years you are lacking.
If you can avoid zeros by working a couple of years longer, you'll increase your Social Security payment.