1. Employee and Employer Contribution Splits
Most 401(k) accounts have both employee (participant’s) and employer contributions. The QDRO can divide just the participant’s contributions or both. It’s important to decide whether the spouse is receiving a portion of:
- Only the participant’s contributions and earnings
- Both the participant’s and employer’s contributions, subject to plan vesting rules
We’ve seen many spouses think they’re getting 50% of “everything,” only to be surprised when vesting rules reduce the actual amount transferred. Clarify this up front.

