What is a QDRO?

A Qualified Domestic Relations Order, or QDRO for short, is the order required to divide retirement accounts pursuant to the terms of a Divorce Decree. Normally, if you withdraw or transfer money out of a retirement account prior to reaching the approved age, you have to pay taxes as well as penalties for early withdrawals. A QDRO is the order that allows for a retirement account to be divided from one former spouse to the other, based on the terms of the Divorce Decree, without any taxes or penalties.

Do I need a QDRO?

If either former spouse (or both former spouses) has a 401k, IRA, Pension, or other retirement account and the Decree orders that account to be divided, you need a QDRO. Simply providing a copy of your Divorce Decree is rarely sufficient to divide a retirement account. Therefore, you will not get your share of a retirement account from the divorce until you have a QDRO prepared, approved by the administrator of the account, and entered by the court.

Cost of QDRO Preparation

Mindi charges a flat rate of $800 per QDRO. For that price, she will communicate with both parties to obtain the information and records needed, obtain preapproval from the administrator, file the QDRO with the court, and send a copy to the administrator.