Understanding How to Divide the Fortive Retirement Savings Plan in Divorce
Dividing retirement assets like the Fortive Retirement Savings Plan during divorce requires more than just a general court order. You’ll need to prepare a qualified domestic relations order, or QDRO, that meets the legal criteria for division and satisfies the requirements of the plan administrator. As a 401(k) plan sponsored by Fortive corporation, the Fortive Retirement Savings Plan has some specific rules and considerations that need to be addressed in the QDRO. In this article, we’ll break down everything you need to know about protecting your share of the account during divorce.
Plan-Specific Details for the Fortive Retirement Savings Plan
Here are the key data points we currently have for the Fortive Retirement Savings Plan:
- Plan Name: Fortive Retirement Savings Plan
- Sponsor: Fortive corporation
- Sponsor Address: 6920 Seaway Blvd (identifier: 20250731011244NAL0011868738001)
- Plan Year: 2024-01-01 through 2024-12-31
- Industry: General Business
- Organization Type: Business Entity
- Plan Type: 401(k)
- Plan Number: Unknown (required for QDRO documentation)
- Employer Identification Number (EIN): Unknown (also needed for QDRO submission)
Because this is a 401(k) plan maintained by a private employer in a general business sector, dividing the plan in divorce will require attention to employee and employer contributions, vesting schedules, loan balances, and any Roth vs. Traditional account distinctions. These details should be specifically addressed in your QDRO to avoid delays or rejections.
Why a QDRO is Required to Divide the Fortive Retirement Savings Plan
Here’s what many people don’t realize: Even if your divorce judgment awards you (or your ex-spouse) a share of the Fortive Retirement Savings Plan, you can’t actually divide or distribute the funds unless there’s a proper QDRO in place. A QDRO is the only legal mechanism under federal law that allows retirement plan assets to be divided without triggering early withdrawal penalties or taxes—if handled correctly.
Without a valid QDRO, the plan administrator won’t process the division. That’s why it’s so important to do this right the first time.
Common Division Issues Specific to 401(k) Plans
As a 401(k) plan, the Fortive Retirement Savings Plan includes certain features that require special handling in a QDRO. Let’s explore a few of the most common areas that often cause confusion or mistakes:
Employee and Employer Contributions
The Fortive Retirement Savings Plan likely includes employee deferral contributions (pre-tax and possibly Roth) and employer-matching or profit-sharing contributions. The QDRO must clearly state which contributions are to be divided, and—just as important—how they’re divided. We often specify a percentage or dollar amount, allocated as of a particular date (commonly known as the “valuation date”).
Vesting Schedules and Forfeited Amounts
Many 401(k) plans include a vesting schedule for employer contributions. What this means is that the employee may not be entitled to all employer contributions unless they meet certain years-of-service requirements. If your QDRO references employer contributions, you’ll need to ensure the order accounts for vested versus unvested amounts. Unvested amounts can be forfeited if the employee leaves the company before vesting is 100%.
Outstanding Loan Balances
If the participant has an active loan from their 401(k), the QDRO must address how the loan will be handled. Will the alternate payee’s share be calculated before or after subtracting the loan? Will the participant remain solely responsible for repayment? This decision affects the actual dollar amount the alternate payee receives and must be explicitly spelled out in the QDRO.
Traditional vs. Roth 401(k) Sub-Accounts
Many modern 401(k) plans—including the Fortive Retirement Savings Plan—allow for both traditional pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions. If the participant has both types, the QDRO should indicate whether the alternate payee will receive a proportional share from each sub-account or only from one. If not properly stated, this can lead to confusion or incorrect division of tax liabilities.
The QDRO Process: A Step-by-Step Breakdown
There’s a lot more involved in dividing the Fortive Retirement Savings Plan than just saying “half goes to the ex.” Here’s how the QDRO process works from start to finish:
- Determine eligibility and gather plan-specific information, including the official name (Fortive Retirement Savings Plan), sponsor (Fortive corporation), plan number, and EIN.
- Draft the QDRO to comply with both federal law and the plan’s internal requirements.
- Submit the draft to the plan administrator for preapproval (if allowed or required).
- File and obtain the signed order from the court handling the divorce.
- Submit the court-certified QDRO to the plan administrator for execution.
Each of these steps requires precision. That’s where we come in.
Why PeacockQDROs is the Better Choice
At PeacockQDROs, we’ve completed thousands of QDROs from start to finish. That means we don’t just draft the order and leave you to figure out the rest. We handle the drafting, preapproval (if applicable), court filing, submission, and follow-up with the plan administrator. That’s what sets us apart from firms that only prepare the document and hand it off to you.
We maintain near-perfect reviews and pride ourselves on a track record of doing things the right way. Our experience with 401(k) plans like the Fortive Retirement Savings Plan helps avoid the expensive and time-consuming mistakes that can occur when people try to handle QDROs through less experienced sources.
Curious about common mistakes to avoid? Visit our page on common QDRO mistakes for a look at what to watch out for. Or read our guide to how long QDROs take depending on your situation.
Documentation You’ll Need
When starting your QDRO for the Fortive Retirement Savings Plan, make sure you have these pieces of information accessible:
- The formal plan name: Fortive Retirement Savings Plan
- The sponsor: Fortive corporation
- The plan number (required for QDRO submission, though currently unknown)
- The sponsor’s EIN (also currently unknown, but required)
- The divorce decree or judgment
- Participant account statements showing balances at the valuation date
If you’re missing critical plan data like the plan number or EIN, we can often help obtain it during the QDRO preparation process by contacting the plan administrator, if needed.
Have Questions? Talk to a QDRO Professional
Even though the Fortive Retirement Savings Plan is classified as a basic 401(k) under a General Business entity, dividing it correctly through a QDRO isn’t automatically simple. Mistakes in wording, valuation dates, contribution treatment, or loan offsets can have long-term consequences, including the risk of the alternate payee receiving nothing.
We understand the nuances and can help avoid costly errors. If you’re ready to move forward or simply need questions answered, you can contact us anytime here: PeacockQDROs Contact Page
State-Specific Call to Action
If your divorce was in California, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, or North Dakota, and you have questions about qualified domestic relations orders or dividing retirement assets like the Fortive Retirement Savings Plan, contact PeacockQDROs. We specialize in QDROs and have successfully processed thousands of orders from start to finish.
Get the answers you need—explore our QDRO resources or reach out for personalized help if you’re in one of our service states.