Dividing Employee and Employer Contributions
Employee contributions are always 100% vested and are straightforward to divide. However, employer contributions are often subject to a vesting schedule. If you’re the alternate payee, you may be entitled only to the vested portion of the employer contributions as of the QDRO cutoff date. It’s important to:
- Identify the cutoff date for division (e.g., date of divorce filing or date of separation)
- Request a benefit statement closest to that date
- Clarify with the plan administrator how vesting is applied

