Understanding QDROs and Why They Matter
Dividing retirement assets like the Rpm International Inc. 401(k) Trust and Plan during a divorce can significantly impact your financial stability. While many people focus on the house or checking accounts, retirement accounts often hold just as much—if not more—value. But you can’t simply split these accounts with a divorce agreement. You need a qualified domestic relations order (QDRO).
As an experienced QDRO attorney with PeacockQDROs, I’ve seen how confusing and delayed this process can become. The key is to get it right from the start. That begins with understanding the QDRO process specific to this plan, your rights as a former spouse, and how to avoid common mistakes.
Plan-Specific Details for the Rpm International Inc. 401(k) Trust and Plan
- Plan Name: Rpm International Inc. 401(k) Trust and Plan
- Sponsor: Rpm international Inc. 401(k) trust and plan
- Address: 2628 PEARL RD
- Industry: General Business
- Organization Type: Corporation
- Plan Status: Active
- Plan Effective Date: 1996-06-01
- Plan Year: 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31
- EIN: Unknown (must be acquired from plan administrator)
- Plan Number: Unknown (must be acquired from plan administrator)
This is an active 401(k) plan offered by a general business corporation. If you or your spouse has participated in this plan, a QDRO is essential for splitting any portion of the account in divorce. Since both employee and employer contributions can be involved, and vesting schedules may impact what’s legally transferable, you’ll want to understand the core parts of the QDRO strategy for this specific plan.
Why a QDRO Is Required to Divide a 401(k) Like This
Under federal law, a 401(k) account cannot be divided between spouses during divorce without a QDRO. A divorce judgment alone isn’t enough. The QDRO formally instructs the plan—here, the Rpm International Inc. 401(k) Trust and Plan—to pay benefits to an “alternate payee,” which can be a former spouse or dependent.
Once approved by the court and the plan administrator, a QDRO ensures the correct amount is transferred without early withdrawal penalties or tax consequences (unless it’s rolled into a non-qualified account).
Employee and Employer Contributions: What’s Divisible?
Understanding Contribution Types
The Rpm International Inc. 401(k) Trust and Plan likely includes both employee deferrals and employer match or profit-sharing contributions. Employee contributions are always 100% vested. Employer contributions, however, may be subject to a vesting schedule.
Vesting Schedules Matter
If your spouse isn’t fully vested in their employer contributions, only the vested portion will be available for division. For example, if the vesting schedule is five years and your spouse has only worked three, a portion of those employer contributions may still be forfeitable. This will impact how much you can receive under the QDRO.
Be sure to request the spouse’s full participant statement and Summary Plan Description (SPD) to verify the vesting status before finalizing division terms.
Special Challenges With Loans
Many employees borrow against their 401(k) using internal plan loans. If your spouse has taken out a loan, that balance reduces the account’s available value. That’s critical when determining your share.
There are typically two ways to handle loans under a QDRO for the Rpm International Inc. 401(k) Trust and Plan:
- Subtract the loan balance from the marital account before division.
- Divide the account including the loan, with the participant responsible for repayment.
Each approach has pros and cons, so choose the one that aligns with your financial goals and legal strategy.
Traditional vs. Roth 401(k) Balances
Many plans, including the Rpm International Inc. 401(k) Trust and Plan, may offer both pre-tax (traditional) and after-tax (Roth) accounts. These must be treated separately under a QDRO.
Why? Because the tax rules are different:
- Traditional 401(k) distributions are taxable income.
- Roth 401(k) distributions, if qualified, are tax-free.
Your QDRO must specify how each type of account is to be divided. If you’re the alternate payee and want to roll the funds into your own account, make sure you’re rolling traditional funds into a traditional IRA and Roth into a Roth IRA—for tax compliance.
What You Need for a Proper QDRO Submission
When dividing the Rpm International Inc. 401(k) Trust and Plan, you’ll need several plan-specific details for your QDRO to be accepted:
- Plan name (Rpm International Inc. 401(k) Trust and Plan)
- Plan sponsor (Rpm international Inc. 401(k) trust and plan)
- Plan number and EIN (to be obtained from the plan administrator—required for submission)
- Benefit calculation method (percentage of account or fixed dollar)
- Specify pre-tax vs. Roth balances, if applicable
- Loan inclusion or exclusion terms
- Vesting status verification
The plan administrator will require pre-approval or specific formatting, so making sure it’s done correctly the first time will save months of delays.
How PeacockQDROs Simplifies the Process
At PeacockQDROs, we’ve completed thousands of QDROs from start to finish. That means we don’t just draft the order and leave you to figure out the court process and plan submission. We handle every step:
- Plan research and document gathering
- QDRO drafting
- Preapproval with plan administrator (if required)
- Court filing
- Submission to the Rpm International Inc. 401(k) Trust and Plan
- Follow-up until it’s approved and processed
We maintain near-perfect reviews and pride ourselves on a track record of doing things the right way. That’s why family law attorneys and individuals nationwide trust us with their QDROs.
Want to avoid common mistakes? Check out our list of frequent QDRO errors to avoid.
How Long Does the QDRO Process Take?
Several factors determine how quickly your QDRO gets processed. We’ve outlined 5 key timing factors here. In our experience, it can take anywhere from 30 to 180 days depending on:
- Whether the plan requires preapproval
- Document availability and accuracy
- Court processing times
- Responsiveness of the plan administrator
- Whether the QDRO is rejected or approved on the first try
We make it our mission to keep things moving so you don’t lose time—or money—waiting for your share.
Contact PeacockQDROs for Help With This Plan
If your divorce was in California, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, or North Dakota, and you have questions about qualified domestic relations orders or dividing retirement assets like the Rpm International Inc. 401(k) Trust and Plan, contact PeacockQDROs. We specialize in QDROs and have successfully processed thousands of orders from start to finish.
Get the answers you need—explore our QDRO resources or reach out for personalized help if you’re in one of our service states.