TOP 3 QDRO MISTAKES & HOW TO AVOID THEM

TOP 3 QDRO MISTAKES & HOW TO AVOID THEM

QDRO MISTAKE 1: WRONG METHOD OF DIVISION FOR RETIREMENT PLAN TYPE

The language in the settlement agreement and QDRO should be applicable to the type of retirement benefits being divided.  There are two main types of retirement plans, namely 1) Defined Contribution Plans and 2) Defined Benefit Plans.  401(k), 403(b), and 457 deferred compensation plans are all types of “Defined Contribution Plans.”  The benefits under defined contribution plans are based upon actual monetary contributions to the plan, and the investment performance of said contributions.  Whereas, the benefits under defined benefit plans, commonly known as “traditional” pension plans, are paid as a monthly annuity based on a formula tied to the plan participant’s years of service credit, final salary, and age at retirement.  Defined Benefit plan benefits are not solely based on monetary contributions.

The language dividing defined contribution plans should (and conversely, the language dividing defined benefit plans should not):

  • Refer to the plan participant’s total account balance
  • Express the former spouse’s (alternate payee’s) interest as either a dollar amount or percentage of the account, as of a particular valuation date (usually the parties’ date of separation)
  • Address whether the alternate payee’s share should or should not be adjusted for interest or investment earnings
  • Provide for a new account to be created in the Alternate Payee’s name
  • Provide the option of an immediate distribution or rollover of Alternate Payee’s share

The language dividing defined contribution plans should not (and conversely, the language dividing defined benefit plans should):

  • Reference the Time Rule Formula or coverture formula
  • Reference the participant’s “accrued benefit”
  • Provide for a “monthly” benefit
  • Reference COLAs or early retirement subsidies
  • Address survivor benefits
  • Delay the alternate payee’s benefit commencement until the participant is eligible for retirement or actually retires

QDRO MISTAKE 2: QDRO PREPARATION TIMING

Ideally, the QDRO should be prepared as soon as the parties have reached a basic settlement regarding the division of the retirement asset.  This will allow the QDRO to be filed concurrently with the Judgment of Dissolution, or even be incorporated into the Judgment.  Otherwise, the QDRO should be prepared as soon to the time of divorce as possible.  If a QDRO is not filed and any of the following events happen, the alternate payee may entirely lose his/her benefits:

  • Participant terminates employment and takes a full plan distribution under a defined contribution plan
  • Participant retires and begins commencement of benefits without notifying the alternate payee
  • Participant dies without a QDRO in place securing survivor benefits for the alternate payee
  • Participant takes a loan out which significantly reduces the account balance available for division pursuant to a QDRO

For more consequences related to QDRO timing, click here.

Another problem that is becoming more and more common when parties wait to draft the QDRO is that plans sometimes undergo a change in plan administrator.  When a new plan administrator takes over, they will usually not perform any calculations regarding benefits accrued prior to their plan administration date.  For example, if the parties’ date of separation was in 2005, but the plan administrator changed in 2007, the plan administrator will reject a QDRO with a valuation date in 2005 because they do not have records prior to 2007.  This can present significant problems if the parties do not have their own plan statements for the time period from the date of marriage to date of separation; and will increase the expense involved in the QDRO as the parties may need to retain an actuary or accountant to perform a calculation to determine the community property interest in the benefits.

QDRO MISTAKE 3: BLINDLY TRUSTING THE MODEL QDRO

Some parties, or family law attorneys, will draft a QDRO by taking the plan’s “model” or “sample” QDRO and inserting the parties’ names with little or no other revisions.  This should never be done unless the parties and/or attorneys clearly understand every single provision within the model QDRO, and are aware of the possible alternate provisions, based on the plan’s terms and the California law regarding marital property rights.

Most model QDROs are drafted to favor the plan participant; they are not drafted to divide the benefits as equally as possible.  Model orders can heavily favor the participant with regard to issues like investment earnings and losses, and survivor benefits. Further, the model QDRO may have been drafted in a different state than where the divorce took place, which can have a huge effect on the division of benefits.  For example, in California, the community property interest stops accruing on the parties’ date of separation; however, other states utilize other dates, such as the date of divorce filing, or the date of the entry of Judgment of Dissolution, both which may be years after the parties’ date of separation.  Utilizing a model QDRO from another jurisdiction could have the effect of awarding the alternate payee far more benefits than he/she would legally be entitled to in California.  Further, many individuals who draft their own QDROs are not able to format the QDRO correctly to be accepted by the court that handled their divorce.  In California, QDROs must be signed by both parties and the judge; however, many model QDROs only leave space for the judge’s signature.

DO YOU NEED HELP WITH A QDRO?

If you have questions about the division of retirement benefits due to your California divorce or legal separation, or if you would like to get started on your Qualified Domestic Relations Order today, please call QDRO Helper at (619) 786-QDRO / (619) 786-7376.  You can also request a new client package by sending an email to info@qdrohelper.com or by visiting the Get Started page.  We proudly assist clients throughout the United States as long as the divorce or legal separation took place in California.

DISCLAIMER: ADVERTISEMENT. Any legal information on this blog has been prepared by QDRO Helper for informational purposes only and is not legal advice and does not constitute a guarantee, warranty, or prediction regarding the outcome of your legal matter. The information provided is intended to comply with Rule 1-400 of the California Rules of Professional Conduct. Any links in this website are included only to help you locate other internet resources that may be of interest to you; QDRO Helper is not associated with any such links. The transmission and receipt of information contained on this website via the Internet or e-mail or in any other manner does not constitute or create an attorney-client relationship, and you should not act on the information contained herein without obtaining legal counsel. QDRO Helper has a strict policy of entering into attorney-client relationships with its clients only though the execution of a written fee agreement acknowledged by QDRO Helper. As such, you should not send QDRO Helper any confidential information in response to this web page until such a relationship is established and expressly acknowledged by QDRO Helper.

Cash Balance Plan QDROs

Cash Balance Plan QDROs

Some employers offer a type of retirement plan known as a “cash balance plan” or “cash balance pension plan.”  Cash balance plans, like any other assets accrued during marriage, are community property and are subject to division pursuant to divorce in California.  We have already written blogs about the division defined benefit plans (i.e. traditional pension plans) and defined contribution plans (i.e. 401(k), 457, and 403(b) plans) by Qualified Domestic Relations Order (QDRO).  Cash balance plans are basically a hybrid between these two other plan types, but are classified as a type of defined benefit plan.  QDROs are also utilized to divide cash balance plans in divorce.

HOW A CASH BALANCE PLAN WORKS

A cash balance plan awards pension credits each year based on a percentage of the employee’s salary for that year.  The contributions made to the cash balance plan will also receive interest credits that are set at a predetermined rate by the plan (either a fixed rate or a variable rate linked to an index). In other words, the earnings on a cash balance account are based upon a predetermined interest rate and not tied to fluctuations of the stock market the way that earnings and losses on a 401(k) plan are.  The plan administrator will invest the funds and any increases or decreases in the value of the plan’s investments will not directly affect the benefit amounts paid to the employee.  Unlike a defined contribution plan, the amount of the employee’s earnings/interest is fixed and the investment risks and benefits are borne by the employer, not the employee.  Once the employee is eligible to receive benefits, the employee can choose either a monthly annuity or a lump sum distribution of his/her cash balance plan benefits.  You can learn more about Cash Balance Plans and how they differ from other types of retirement plans at the U.S. Department of Labor website.

CASH BALANCE PLAN QDRO ISSUES

It is critical for QDRO purposes to determine whether the cash balance plan was converted from a company’s previous defined benefit plan, or was initially created as a cash balance plan.  Many companies have converted their traditional pension plans to cash balance plans because it costs the employer much less to fund a cash balance plan than a traditional pension plan.  Regarding the method of division under a QDRO, if a plan was always a cash balance plan (i.e. there were no traditional pension benefit contributions), and the parties were married when the employee began participating in the plan, then the former spouse of the employee would be awarded a 50% of the account balance as of the parties’ date of separation, plus a proportionate share of annual interest credits.  However, if traditional pension benefits were earned during the marriage and then the plan converted to a cash balance plan, the QDRO must address how to divide both types of benefits earned.  Usually it is most accurate to apply the Time Rule Formula to the benefits accrued prior to the conversion (i.e. the benefits accrued under a traditional pension), and then to award the former spouse 50% of the contributions and interest credits from the date the plan converted to a cash balance plan through the parties’ date of separation.  The nature of the plan, the length of the employee’s employment, and whether the employee had a traditional pension plan that was converted to a cash balance plan during the marriage are critical issues for purposes of drafting a Qualified Domestic Relations Order.  As you can imagine, the language in your cash balance plan QDRO must be carefully drafted to address these issues.

DO YOU NEED HELP WITH A CASH BALANCE PLAN QDRO?

If you have questions about the division of a cash balance plan due to your California dissolution of marriage or legal separation, or if you would like to get started on your Qualified Domestic Relations Order today, please call QDRO Helper at (619) 786-QDRO / (619) 786-7376.  You can also request a new client package by sending an email to info@qdrohelper.com.  We proudly assist clients throughout the United States as long as the divorce or legal separation took place in California.

DISCLAIMER: ADVERTISEMENT.
Any legal information on this blog has been prepared by QDRO Helper for informational purposes only and is not legal advice and does not constitute a guarantee, warranty, or prediction regarding the outcome of your legal matter. The information provided is intended to comply with Rule 1-400 of the California Rules of Professional Conduct. Any links in this website are included only to help you locate other Internet resources that may be of interest to you; QDRO Helper is not associated with any such links. The transmission and receipt of information contained on this website via the Internet or e-mail or in any other manner does not constitute or create an attorney-client relationship, and you should not act on the information contained herein without obtaining legal counsel. QDRO Helper has a strict policy of entering into attorney-client relationships with its clients only though the execution of a written fee agreement acknowledged by QDRO Helper. As such, you should not send QDRO Helper any confidential information in response to this web page until such a relationship is established and expressly acknowledged by QDRO Helper.