Employee and Employer Contributions
401(k) plans include both employee (participant) contributions and possibly employer matching or profit-sharing contributions. In most divorce settlements, both are subject to division. However, employer contributions often come with a vesting schedule. If a portion of the employer match hasn’t vested yet, and the QDRO tries to assign it to the alternate payee, that amount may end up forfeited if the participant leaves employment before vesting. Your QDRO should clearly account for this.

