Employee vs. Employer Contributions
Employees contribute to their 401(k) plans through payroll deductions. In many cases, employers also contribute through matching contributions. Only the employee can be sure how much of the total plan balance comes from their own salary vs. how much comes from the employer.
Here’s the important part: employer contributions may be subject to a vesting schedule. That means some of those employer dollars might not be fully owned by the participant yet. If a divorce occurs before those funds are 100% vested, the unvested portion is often off the table for division—or it’s subject to forfeiture.

