I purchased Judgment Language, what comes next?

The short answer to this question is you should not wait for retirement to file a QDRO! If you delay filing a QDRO, and wait until your ex-spouse retires or you need the money, you may lose valuable rights or even lose some benefits that you are entitled to receive. I never say that lightly and never use it as a scare tactic. It comes from genuine concern over unfinished divorce matters which we see daily. I am going to jump right into the “why” and the “if you don’t” as it is truly one of those topics that often are unaddressed.

How it works

Step 1: Identify the plan to divide or waive

It is quite common for the retirement account to (1) NOT be correctly named in the divorce judgment and/or (2) to be omitted entirely from the divorce judgment. Once you provide the name of the employer, union, or public entity which sponsors the retirement account, QDROCounsel can help make sure you identify the plan to be divided and also can help make sure you are not missing any additional plans to be divided by the employer. QDROCounsel can always provide good waiver language for the divorce decree if the participant should be awarded the entire retirement account with no payment to the former spouse.

Step 2: Answer simple questions on how to divide

You will be prompted to answer basic questions regarding how the retirement account should be divided. If you are not sure, you can always schedule a telephone call with a QDRO Expert who will explain the most common questions and areas of concern for most people in order to provide a deeper understanding of how the retirement benefits are being divided for the divorce language.

Step 3: Receive sample divorce judgment language

You will then receive sample divorce judgment language in a Word Document. You can add this language to your divorce document in the retirement benefit section. If selected by the customer, the divorce judgment language will include a specific award for survivor benefits to make sure the former spouse receives his/her interest in the plan if the participant dies or retires. Including a specific award for survivor benefits in the divorce judgment is very important since failure to do so may result in loss of benefits.