Employee and Employer Contributions
Most 401(k) accounts have two sources of funds: what the employee contributes (usually pre-tax or Roth) and what the employer adds, often as a percentage of income. The QDRO can assign a percentage or flat dollar amount of either the total account or particular segments (e.g., just the employee contributions) to the alternate payee (typically the ex-spouse).
If the goal is to share the entire account proportionally, the language needs to be crystal clear. And if the participant received an employer match that isn’t fully vested, that’s a separate issue we’ll address below.

