How the QDRO Process Works
INFORMATION GATHERING
Our office will request, and you will provide, information, including your contact information, copies of your marital settlement agreement or divorce decree, and retirement plan information. Everything can be submitted via email, fax, and regular US Mail – no office visits necessary! (Please see the Forms tab which provides fillable PDFs for all information needed to complete your order.) QDRO Helper will notify you if there is any additional information required or if there are any issues that need clarification before your draft Qualified Domestic Relations Order can be completed.
DRAFT QDRO
After all information is gathered and all issues are settled, we will prepare a draft Qualified Domestic Relations Order. The draft will be sent to the parties for review. When possible, the draft order will also be sent to the retirement plan administrator for pre-approval. Note: Some plan administrators refuse to pre-approve drafts. QDRO Helper will make any changes requested by the parties and/or the retirement plan administrator and then send a revised draft to the parties and the plan administrator for approval.
FINAL STEPS
Once we receive plan administrator approval, and when the parties have not requested additional changes, we will send a final QDRO to you to obtain both parties’ signatures along with instructions on how to file the Qualified Domestic Relations Order at court and how to send a certified copy to the retirement plan administrator for final qualification and implementation. QDRO Helper can assist with the court filing and submission of a certified copy to the plan administrator for an additional fee of $150 per QDRO – see our Fee Schedule for details.