When going through a divorce in Dallas, Texas, it is important to gather all the information you can regarding your retirement accounts such as the start date, the most recent statement and the plan administrator’s contact information. Any retirement acquired during the marriage is community property and is thus divisible by the Court.
When it comes to dividing a retirement account such as a 401K or a pension, extra steps are required in addition to the final divorce decree dividing such accounts. In order to divide a 401k or Pension, an additional order called a Qualified Domestic Relations Order needs to be signed by the Court. The Qualified Domestic Relations Order is referred to as a QDRO.
Once the QDRO has been signed by the Judge, it is then sent to the retirement plan administrator for processing. Many plan administrators are not located within Texas and most have their own QDRO that they prefer for participants to use. Some QDROs can be rather complicated and it is recommended that the proposed QDRO be submitted to the plan administrator for approval prior to having the Judge sign the QDRO.
The QDRO essentially divides a retirement account into two separate accounts. The QDRO will state the division of the retirement account shall occur upon a date certain. This means that the retirement account will be divided as of the date of divorce or another date as stated in the QDRO. The QDRO will also assign either a percentage or dollar amount for each spouse being awarded an interest in the retirement as of the date certain stated in the QDRO. If a spouse has taken a loan from their retirement account, the spouse that is to assume responsibility of that loan will need to be specifically stated in the QDRO.