Employee and Employer Contributions
The 401(k) account likely includes both employee contributions (amounts the participant elected to defer from paychecks) and employer contributions (matching or discretionary). In most plan divisions, the alternate payee—usually the ex-spouse—receives a share based on the vested balance only.
Unvested employer contributions may be excluded unless they vest before the date of division. It’s important to request a vesting schedule and determine how much of the account is vested before deciding how to write the QDRO.

