Vesting Schedules and Forfeitures
If the plan participant has employer contributions that aren’t 100% vested at the time of divorce, that portion of the account isn’t available to be divided. A good QDRO will account for this by specifying the division is limited to the vested portion as of a specific date (usually the date of separation or divorce judgment).
Otherwise, the alternate payee could expect a higher payout than what the plan can legally provide, leading to complications and delays in benefit distribution.

