Dividing Contributions: Employee vs. Employer
The QDRO can award a portion of the account to the non-employee spouse (known as the “alternate payee”). Typically, this includes a percentage or dollar amount of:
- Employee contributions made during the marriage
- Employer-matching contributions (to the extent vested—more on that below)
- Investment gains and losses on those contributions
This is usually based on the “marital portion,” often defined as the contributions made between the date of marriage and the date of separation. But how it’s calculated depends on your state and your settlement or judgment.

