General Requirements for QDRO Approval

There are 10 general qualification requirements that a domestic relations order must meet. In addition, the order must satisfy the employer's Qualified Domestic Relations Order (QDRO) requirements. Otherwise, the order will be denied. Get the employer's QDRO requirements on this site or contact us.

The order must:

1. Be a court order, judgment, or decree (certified and signed by a judge or other state-approved court official)
2. Relate to the alimony payments or marital property rights of a spouse or former spouse, or to the support of a child or other dependent of a retirement plan participant
3. Contain a statement that the order is issued pursuant to a state domestic relations law
4. Clearly identify the plan by name
5. Include the following information for the participant and alternate payee:

   Participant

   Term used in QDROs to distinguish the spouse whose employee retirement plan is being divided under the order.

   Alternate Payee

   A spouse, former spouse, child or other dependent of a participant who is recognized by a domestic relations order as having a right to receive all or a portion of the participant's retirement benefits payable under the plan.

   • Name
   • Last known mailing address
   • Social Security Number
   • Date of birth
6. Describe the amount or percentage of benefits to be paid and when to calculate the award
7. Not require the plan to pay more benefits than the participant is entitled to
8. Indicate the manner of payment and when payments may begin
9. Not require the plan to provide any benefit not otherwise provided by the plan
10. Not require payments to an alternate payee that are already required to be paid to another alternate payee under a previously issued QDRO