Employee vs. Employer Contributions
Most 401(k) plans include both employee deferral contributions and employer matching (profit-sharing) contributions. While employee deferrals are always the property of the participant, employer contributions may be subject to a vesting schedule.
In the QDRO, it’s critical to specify:
- Whether the alternate payee receives a percentage of just employee contributions or total plan value
- How to treat unvested employer contributions—these may be excluded or partially included based on state law and agreement between parties

