Now's a good time to check the Social Security contributions you've made (which you'll find listed on your year-end paystubs) against what the Social Security Administration (SSA) has recorded as your contributions (which you'll find on Form SSA-7004, your Personal Earnings and Benefits Statement).

You can call the SSA at 800/772-1213 and ask them to send you Form SSA-7004, or you can do it right online at www.ssa.gov/online/ssa-7004.html, where you can download a request form

A few weeks later they'll send you your Personal Earnings and Benefit Statement, which will tell you how much you can expect to receive from Social Security, based on their records of your lifetime contributions.

Mistakes can happen when your employer reports your gross income. By checking how much you actually received in gross income from your employer against what your employer reported to Social Security, you'll spot mistakes quickly. It's much easier for the SSA to correct an error before they start paying you benefits than after.

Take this little but important step now before you start drawing Social Security. You could discover a mistake that would have cost you a lot of money over the course of your retirement.

We have all your retirement-planning needs covered here at Dolans.com! Click on any of these links for our advice on your biggest concerns:

• The Dolan Catch-Up Plan for a Secure Retirement