How Retirement Accounts are Divided in a Divorce

• Retirement accounts are considered to be marital assets, and are generally treated by dividing what was accrued from the date of marriage to the date of divorce
• People may try to divide pensions on their own, without the assistance of an attorney
• Pension and Non-Pension payments are divided by means of a Qualified Domestic Relations Order; This is an order that is drafted, given to the court, given back to your plan administrator for the pensions, so that the plan administrator has the authority to divide the check between the parties
• The problem with dividing retirement accounts and pension payments is that someone who has worked for an employer for a long time may want to keep their full pension