Loan Balances
If the plan participant has taken out a loan against their 401(k) account, you’ll need to decide how that debt is handled. There are a few options:
- The loan balance is subtracted from the total value of the account before division (most common).
- The loan is assigned solely to the participant, especially if it benefited them individually.
- The loan is split proportionally between both former spouses (less common).
We recommend including loan treatment language in the QDRO to avoid confusion and delays.

