A QDRO is a specialized court order used to divide certain retirement plan benefits between spouses in a divorce without triggering immediate tax consequences or plan disqualification. It assigns the alternate payee a right to receive a portion of the participant spouse's retirement benefits directly from the plan.

QDROs apply to qualified retirement plans such as 401(k)s, 403(b)s, and defined benefit pension plans. IRAs are divided through a different process, a transfer incident to divorce, not a QDRO.

We do not draft QDROs at Best Law Firm but you need to understand them thoroughly to protect your client. Read our resource page on the website for a full explanation. Pay an experienced attorney to draft your proper court order.