What Is a QDRO? How Divorce Affects Retirement - Law and Daily Life

What Is a QDRO? How Divorce Affects Retirement

What is a QDRO? If you have a retirement account, and you're facing a divorce, you may become quite familiar with this acronym, which stands for Qualified Domestic Relations Order.

A QDRO is a court order that allows an alternate payee -- a spouse, an ex-spouse, a child, or some other dependent -- to collect money from a retirement account. This may be needed for spousal or child support, for example. In some states, a retirement account may also be considered community property that must be divided upon divorce.


What Qualifies as a QDRO?


  • The name of each plan to which the order applies;

How Does a QDRO Work?



How Do QDROs Get Drafted?

Plan administrators may provide QDRO forms that participants can fill out on their own. But because there are a number of legal requirements for what a QDRO must contain, it's probably best to speak with an attorney about drafting a QDRO that meets your specific needs. Still have specific family law questions? FindLaw Answers has a robust family law forum with similar inquiries. Ask away.

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