1. Contributions: Employee vs. Employer
The QDRO must clearly state how both employee and employer contributions are to be divided. The participant (employee) contributes a percentage of their salary, and the employer may match a portion of those contributions according to a vesting schedule.
If you’re the non-employee spouse (known in QDRO language as the “alternate payee”), it’s vital to understand whether you’ll receive a share of just the employee’s contributions, or the employer’s as well—and whether those employer contributions are fully vested.

