DEPARTMENT OF LABOR


DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

QDROs: The Division of Pensions Through Qualified Domestic Relations Order

[Graphic Omitted]


(Note: This document provides general information about the qualified domestic relations orders (QDROs) under the provisions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. For information about QDROs submitted to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation after a pension plan terminates and PBGC becomes the trustee, click here.)

Introduction

Chapter 1 – Qualified Domestic Relations Orders: An Overview

Chapter 2 – Administration of QDROs: Determining Qualified and Paying Benefits

Chapter 3 – Drafting QDROs

Appendices

    Appendix A – Department of Labor Advisory Opinion Letters

    Advisory Opinion 90-46A

    Advisory Opinion 92-17A

    Advisory Opinion 94-32A

    Appendix B – ERISA Advisory Opinion Procedure

    Appendix C – IRS Sample Language for a Qualified Domestic Relations Order

Introduction

More than 84 million Americans are currently covered by employer-sponsored pension plans in the United States. For many of these Americans, pension savings represent one of their most significant assets. For this reason, whether and how to divide a participant’s interest in a pension plan are often important considerations in separation, divorce, and other domestic relations proceedings. While the division of marital property generally is governed by state domestic relations law, any assignments of pension interests must also comply with Federal law, namely the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the Code). Under ERISA and the Code, pension interests may be assigned only if the judgment, decree, or order creating or recognizing a spouse’s, former spouse’s, child’s, or other dependent’s interest in an individual’s pension benefits constitutes a "qualified domestic relations order" or "QDRO."

This booklet was prepared by the Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration (PWBA) of the U.S. Department of Labor to provide general guidance about QDROs1 to employers, pension plan administrators, participants, beneficiaries, employee benefit professionals, and domestic relations specialists. The views expressed in this booklet represent the views of the Department of Labor.

( 1The Department of Labor has jurisdiction to interpret the QDRO provisions set forth in section 206(d)(3) of ERISA and section 414(p) of the Code (except to the extent provided in section 401(n) of the Code) and the provisions governing fiduciary duties owed with respect to domestic relations orders and QDROs. This booklet was developed in consultation with the Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service.)

Chapter 1 provides a general overview of the QDRO provisions and the basic rules governing the content of QDROs.

Chapter 2 focuses on the duties of pension plan administrators in making QDRO determinations and in administering pension plans for which related QDROs have been issued.

Chapter 3 focuses on issues to be considered in drafting a QDRO. This chapter also discusses the provisions of section 205 of ERISA, which are substantially parallel to the provisions contained in sections 401(a)(11) and 417 of the Code to the extent these sections apply to QDROs. The provisions of section 205 require that pension plans provide the spouses of pension plan participants with certain rights to survivor benefits, which are relevant to the provisions governing QDROs. Sample QDRO language developed by the Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service, in consultation with the Department of Labor, is provided in Appendix C.

It is the hope of PWBA that the information furnished in this booklet will promote better understanding of the rights and obligations of those involved in domestic relations proceedings and those responsible for administering pension plans2. A better understanding of these provisions of law should reduce the costs and burdens associated with QDRO determinations for both pension plans and the affected individuals.

( 2As used in this booklet, the term "pension plan" refers to that term as defined in section 3(2) of ERISA and means generally any plan established or maintained by an employer or an employee organization (or both) that provides retirement income to employees or results in the deferral or income by employees for periods extending to the termination of covered employment or beyond.)

The Department recognizes that this booklet does not answer every question that may arise in the development and administration of QDROs. In this regard, the Department is willing to consider addressing specific issues through its advisory opinion process (but see Question 1-14 regarding advisory opinion requests on whether a domestic relations order is a QDRO). The ERISA Advisory Opinion Procedure governing this process is set forth in Appendix B of this booklet.

Chapter 1 – Qualified Domestic Relations Orders: An Overview

This chapter includes a general overview of the provisions of Federal law governing the assignment of pension benefits in a domestic relations proceeding and the requirements that apply in determining whether a domestic relations order is a QDRO. The following areas are addressed:

  • Who can be an "alternate payee"?
  • What information must be included in a domestic relations order in order for it to be "qualified"?
  • Who determines whether a domestic relations order is a QDRO?

In general, ERISA and the Code do not permit a participant to assign or alienate the participant’s interest in a pension plan to another person. These "anti-assignment and alienation" rules are intended to ensure that a participant’s pension benefits are actually available to provide financial support during the participant’s retirement years. A limited exception to the anti-assignment and alienation rules is provided for assignments of pension benefits through qualified domestic relations orders (QDROs).

Under the QDRO exception, a domestic relations order may assign some or all of a participant’s pension benefits to a spouse, former spouse, child, or other dependent to satisfy family support or marital property obligations if and only if the order is a "qualified domestic relations order." ERISA requires that each pension plan pay benefits in accordance with the applicable requirements of any "qualified domestic relations order" that has been submitted to the plan administrator. The plan administrator’s determinations on whether a domestic relations order is a QDRO, therefore, have significant implications for both the parties to a domestic relations proceeding and the plan. The following questions and answers are intended to provide an overview of the Federal requirements a domestic relations order must satisfy to be considered a QDRO.

Q 1-1: What is a Qualified Domestic Relations Order?

A "qualified domestic relation order" (QDRO) is:

  • a domestic relations order
  • that creates or recognizes the existence of an "alternate payee’s" right to receive, or assigns to an alternate payee the right to receive, all or a portion of the benefits payable with respect to a participant under a pension plan, and that includes certain information and meets certain other requirements. See Questions 1-5 and 1-6.

Question 1-4 explains who may be an "alternate payee."

[ERISA § 206(d)(3)(B)(i); IRC § 414(p)(1)(A)]

Q 1-2: What is a "domestic relations order"?

To be recognized as a QDRO, an order must be a "domestic relations order." A domestic relations order is:

  • a judgment, decree, or order (including the approval of a property settlement)
  • that is made pursuant to state domestic relations law (including community property law) and
  • that relates to the provision of child support, alimony payments, or marital property rights for the benefit of a spouse, former spouse, child, or other dependent of a participant.

A state authority, generally a court, must actually issue a judgment, order, or decree or otherwise formally approve a property settlement agreement before it can be a "domestic relations order" under ERISA. The mere fact that a property settlement is agreed to and signed by the parties will not, in and of itself, cause the agreement to be a domestic relations order.

There is no requirement that both parties to a marital proceeding sign or otherwise endorse or approve an order. It is also not necessary that the pension plan be brought into state court or made a party to a domestic relations proceeding for an order issued in that proceeding to be a "domestic relations order" or a "qualified domestic relations order." Indeed, because state law is generally preempted to the extent that it relates to pension plans, the Department takes the position that pension plans cannot be joined as a party in a domestic relations proceeding pursuant to state law. Moreover, pension plans are neither permitted nor required to follow the terms of domestic relations orders purporting to assign pension benefits unless they are QDROs.

[ERISA §§ 206(d)(3)(B)(ii), 514(a), 514(b)(7); IRC § 414(p)(1)(B)]

Q 1-3: Must a "domestic relations order" be issued by a state court?

No. A domestic relations order may be issued by any state agency or instrumentality with the authority to issue judgments, decrees, or orders, or to approve property settlement agreements, pursuant to state domestic relations law (including community property law).

[ERISA § 206(d)(3)(B)(ii); IRC § 414(p)(1)(B)]

Q 1-4: Who can be an "alternate payee"?

A domestic relations order can be a QDRO only if it creates or recognizes the existence of an alternate payee’s right to receive, or assigns to an alternate payee the right to receive, all or a part of a participant’s benefits. For purposes of the QDRO provisions, an alternate payee cannot be anyone other than a spouse, former spouse, child, or other dependent of a participant.

[ERISA § 206(d)(3)(K), IRC § 414(p)(8)]

Q 1-5: What information must a domestic relations order contain to qualify as a QDRO under ERISA?

QDROs must contain the following information:

  • the name and last known mailing address of the participant and each alternate payee;
  • the name of each plan to which the order applies;
  • the dollar amount or percentage (or the method of determining the amount or percentage) of the benefit to be paid to the alternate payee; and
  • the number of payments or time period to which the order applies.

[ERISA § 206(d)(3)(C)(i)-(iv); IRC § 414(p)(2)(A)-(D)]

Q 1-6: Are there other requirements that a domestic relations order must meet to be a QDRO?

Yes. There are certain provisions that a QDRO must not contain:

  • The order must not require a plan to provide an alternate payee or participant with any type or form of benefit, or any option, not otherwise provided under the plan;
  • The order must not require a plan to provide for increased benefits (determined on the basis of actuarial value);
  • The order must not require a plan to pay benefits to an alternate payee that are required to be paid to another alternate payee under another order previously determined to be a QDRO; and
  • The order must not require a plan to pay benefits to an alternate payee in the form of a qualified joint and survivor annuity for the lives of the alternate payee and his or her subsequent spouse.

[ERISA §§ 206(d)(3)(D)(i)-(iii), 206(d)(3)(E)(i)(III); IRC §§ 414(p)(3)(A)-(C), 414(p)(4)(A)(iii)]

Q 1-7: May a QDRO be part of the divorce decree or property settlement?

Yes. There is nothing in ERISA or the Code that requires that a QDRO (that is, the provisions that create or recognize an alternate payee’s interest in a participant’s pension benefits) be issued as a separate judgment, decree, or order. Accordingly, a QDRO may be included as part of a divorce decree or court- approved property settlement, or issued as a separate order, without affecting its "qualified" status. The order must satisfy the requirements described above to be a QDRO.

[See generally ERISA § 206(d)(3)(B); IRC § 414(p)(1)]

Q 1-8: Must a domestic relations order be issued as part of a divorce proceeding to be a QDRO?

No. A domestic relations order that provides for child support or recognizes marital property rights may be a QDRO, without regard to the existence of a divorce proceeding. Such an order, however, must be issued pursuant to state domestic relations law and create or recognize the rights of an individual who is an "alternate payee" (spouse, former spouse, child, or other dependent of a participant).

An order issued in a probate proceeding begun after the death of the participant that purports to recognize an interest with respect to pension benefits arising solely under state community property law, but that doesn’t relate to the dissolution of a marriage or recognition of support obligations, is not a QDRO because the proceeding does not relate to a legal separation, marital dissolution, or family support obligation.

[ERISA § 206(d)(3)(B); IRC § 414(p)(1); Advisory Opinion 90-46A (Appendix A); see Boggs v. Boggs, No. 97-79 (S. Ct. June 2, 1997)]

Q 1-9: May a QDRO provide for payment to the guardian of an alternate payee?

Yes. If an alternate payee is a minor or is legally incompetent, the order can require payment to someone with legal responsibility for the alternate payee (such as a guardian or a party acting in loco parentis in the case of a child, or a trustee as agent for the alternate payee).

[See Staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation, Explanation of Technical Corrections to the Tax Reform Act of 1984 and Other Recent Tax Legislation, 100th Cong., 1st Sess. (Comm. Print 1987) at 222]

Q 1-10: Can a QDRO cover more than one plan?

Yes. A QDRO can assign rights to pension benefits under more than one pension plan of the same or different employers as long as each plan and the assignment of benefit rights under each plan are clearly specified.

[ERISA § 206(d)(3)(C)(iv); IRC § 414(p)(2)(D)]

Q 1-11: Must all QDROs have the same provisions?

No. Although every QDRO must contain certain provisions, such as the names and addresses of the participant and alternate payee(s) and the name of the plan(s), the specific content of the rest of the QDRO will depend, as explained in more detail in Chapter 3, on the type of pension plan, the nature of the participant’s pension benefits, the purposes behind issuing the order, and the intent of the drafting parties.

Q 1-12: Who determines whether an order is a QDRO?

Under Federal law, the administrator of the pension plan that provides the benefits affected by an order is the individual (or entity) initially responsible for determining whether a domestic relations order is a QDRO. Plan administrators have specific responsibilities and duties with respect to determining whether a domestic relations order is a QDRO. Plan administrators, as plan fiduciaries, are required to discharge their duties prudently and solely in the interest of plan participants and beneficiaries. Among other things, plans must establish reasonable procedures to determine the qualified status of domestic relations orders and to administer distributions pursuant to qualified orders. Administrators are required to follow the plan’s procedures for making QDRO determinations. Administrators also are required to furnish notice to participants and alternate payees of the receipt of a domestic relations order and to furnish a copy of the plan’s procedures for determining the qualified status of such orders. See Chapter 2 for a detailed discussion of the duties and responsibilities of plan administrators in making QDRO determinations.

It is the view of the Department of Labor that a state court (or other state agency or instrumentality with the authority to issue domestic relations orders) does not have jurisdiction to determine whether an issued domestic relations order constitutes a "qualified domestic relations order." In the view of the Department, jurisdiction to challenge a plan administrator’s decision about the qualified status of an order lies exclusively in Federal court.

[ERISA §§ 206(d)(3)(G)(i)(II), 404(a), 502(a)(3), 502(e), 514; IRC § 414(p)(6)(A)(ii)]

Q 1-13: Who is the "administrator" of the plan?

The "administrator" of an employee benefit plan is the individual or entity specifically designated in the plan documents as the administrator. If the plan documents do not designate an administrator, the administrator is the employer maintaining the plan, or, in the case of a plan maintained by more than one employer, the association, committee, joint board of trustees, or similar group representing the parties maintaining the plan. The name, address, and phone number of the plan administrator is required to be included in the plan’s summary plan description. The summary plan description is a document that the administrator is required to furnish to each participant and to each beneficiary receiving benefits. It summarizes the rights and benefits of participants and beneficiaries and the obligations of the plan.

[ERISA §§ 3(16), 102(b), 29 CFR § 2520.102-3(f); IRC § 414(g), Treas. Reg. § 1.414(g)-1]

Q 1-14: Will the Department of Labor issue advisory opinions on whether a domestic relations order is a QDRO?

No. A determination of whether an order is a QDRO necessarily requires an interpretation of the specific provisions of the plan or plans to which the order applies and the application of those provisions to specific facts, including a determination of the participant’s actual pension benefits under the plan(s). The Department will not issue opinions on such inherently factual matters.

[See ERISA Procedure 76-1, 41 Fed. Reg. 36281 (1976)(Appendix B)]

Chapter 2 – Administration of QDROs: Determining Qualified Status and Paying Benefits

This chapter describes the duties of a plan administrator in determining the qualified status of domestic relations orders and administering distributions under QDROs. The following areas are addressed:

  • What are the plan administrator’s responsibilities in furnishing information to a participant and alternate payee?
  • What measures must a plan administrator take to protect the plan participant’s benefits upon receipt of a domestic relations order?
  • What procedures must a plan administrator follow in determining whether a domestic relations order is a QDRO?

ERISA imposes a number of responsibilities on the plan administrator relating to the handling of domestic relations orders. As a plan fiduciary, the administrator is required to discharge these responsibilities prudently and solely in the interest of the plan’s participants and beneficiaries. It is the view of the Department that the prudent discharge of a fiduciary’s responsibilities with respect to the handling of domestic relations orders, like other areas of plan administration, requires plan administrators to take steps to avoid unnecessary and excessive administrative burdens and costs to the plan. The Department believes that the adoption of procedures and policies designed to facilitate, rather than impede, the timely processing and perfection of domestic relations orders generally will serve to minimize plan burdens and costs attendant to QDRO determinations.

The following questions and answers are intended to provide guidance on the discharge of administrator’s obligations under the QDRO and fiduciary responsibility provisions of ERISA.

Q 2-1: What information is an administrator required to provide a prospective alternate payee before the administrator receives a domestic relations order?

Congress conditioned an alternate payee’s right to an assignment of a participant’s pension benefit on the prospective alternate payee’s obtaining a domestic relations order that satisfies specific informational and other requirements. It is the view of the Department that Congress therefore intended prospective alternate payees — spouses, former spouses, children, and other dependents of a participant who are involved in a domestic relations proceedings — to have access to plan and participant benefit information sufficient to prepare a QDRO. Such information might include the summary plan description, relevant plan documents, and a statement of the participant’s benefit entitlements.

The Department believes that Congress did not intend to require prospective alternate payees to submit a domestic relations order to the plan as a prerequisite to establishing the prospective alternate payee’s rights to information in connection with a domestic relations proceeding. However, it is the view of the Department that a plan administrator may condition disclosure of such information on a prospective alternate payee’s providing information sufficient to reasonably establish that the disclosure request is being made in connection with a domestic relations proceeding.

It is the Department’s understanding that many domestic relations orders fail initially to qualify when submitted to the plan because they fail to take into account the plan’s provisions or the participant’s actual benefit entitlements. Affording prospective alternate payees access to plan and participant information in a timely manner will, in the view of the Department, help drafters avoid making such obvious errors in preparing orders and, thereby, facilitate plan administration. See Question 2-5.

[ERISA §§ 206(d)(3)(A) – (C), 404(a); IRC § 414(p)(1) – (3)]

Q 2-2: What are the duties of a plan administrator upon receipt of a domestic relations order by the plan?

Upon receipt of a domestic relations order, the plan administrator is required to promptly notify the affected participant and each alternate payee named in the order of the receipt of the order and to provide a copy of the plan’s procedures for determining whether a domestic relations order is a QDRO. Notification should be sent to the address included in the domestic relations order.

The administrator is required to determine whether the order is a QDRO within a reasonable period of time after receipt of a domestic relations order and to promptly notify the participant and each alternate payee of such determination. See Question 2-10.

[ERISA § 206(d)(3)(G)(i); IRC § 414(p)(6)(A)]

Q 2-3: Is a plan required to have procedures for determining whether a domestic relations order is qualified?

Yes. Every pension plan is required to establish written procedures for determining whether domestic relations orders are QDROs and for administering distributions under QDROs.

[ERISA § 206(d)(3)(G)(ii); IRC § 414(p)(6)(B)]

Q 2-4: What requirements must a plan’s QDRO procedures meet?

The QDRO procedures must:

  • be in writing;
  • be reasonable;
  • provide that each person specified in a domestic relations order received by the plan as entitled to payment of benefits under the plan will be notified (at the address specified in the domestic relations order) of the plan’s procedures for making QDRO determinations upon receipt of a domestic relations order; and
  • permit an alternate payee to designate a representative for receipt of copies of notices and plan information that are sent to the alternate payee with respect to a domestic relations orders.

It is the view of the Department that a plan’s QDRO procedures would not be considered "reasonable" if they unduly inhibited or hampered the obtaining of a QDRO determination or the making of distributions under a QDRO. For example, any procedure that conditioned making a QDRO determination on the payment of a fee by a participant or alternate payee (either directly or as a charge against the participant’s account) would not be considered a "reasonable procedure." See Question 2-6; Advisory Opinion No. 94-32A (Appendix A).

[ERISA § 206(d)(3)(G)(ii); IRC § 414(p)(6)]

Q 2-5: Are there other matters that should be addressed in a plan’s QDRO procedures?

Yes. It is the view of the Department of Labor that a plan’s QDRO procedures should be designed to ensure that QDRO determinations are made in a timely, efficient, and cost-effective manner, consistent with the administrator’s fiduciary duties under ERISA. The Department believes that unnecessary administrative burdens and costs attendant to QDRO determinations and administration can be avoided with clear explanations of the plan’s determination process, including:

  • An explanation of the information about the plan and benefits that is available to assist prospective alternate payees in preparing QDROs, such as summary plan descriptions, plan documents, individual benefit and account statements, and any model QDROs developed for use by the plan (see Questions 2-1, 2-7);
  • A description of any time limits set by the plan administrator for making determinations;
  • A description of the steps the administrator will take to protect and preserve pension assets or benefits upon receipt of a domestic relations order (for example, a description of when and under what circumstances plan assets will be segregated or benefit payments will be delayed or suspended) (see Questions 2-12, 2-13); and
  • A description of the process provided under the plan for obtaining a review of the administrator’s determination as to whether an order is a QDRO.

It is the view of the Department that the plan administrator’s adoption and use of clear QDRO procedures, coupled with the administrator’s provision of information about the plan and benefits upon request, will significantly reduce the difficulty and expense of obtaining and administering QDROs by minimizing confusion and uncertainty about the process.

[ERISA §§ 206(d)(3)(G), 206(d)(3)(H), 404(a); IRC §§ 414(p)(6), 414(p)(7)]

Q 2-6: May a plan administrator charge a participant or alternate payee for determining the qualified status of a domestic relations order?

The Department has taken the position that pension plans may not impose a fee or charge on a participant or alternate payee (either directly or as a charge against a plan account) in connection with a determination of the status of a domestic relations order or the administration of a QDRO.

[ERISA §§ 206(d)(3), 404(a); see Advisory Opinion 94-32A (Appendix A)]

Q 2-7: May plan administrators provide parties with a model form or forms to assist in the preparation of a QDRO?

Yes. Although they are not required to do so, plan administrators may develop and make available "model" QDRO forms to assist in the preparation of a QDRO. Such model forms may make it easier for the parties to prepare a QDRO and reduce the time and expenses associated with a plan administrator’s determination of the qualified status of an order. Examples of sample language that may be included in such forms are provided in Appendix C.

Plan administrators are required to honor any domestic relations order that satisfies the requirements to be a QDRO. In the view of the Department, therefore, a plan may not condition its determinations of QDRO status on the use of any particular form.

Q 2-8: In determining the qualified status of a domestic relations order, is the administrator required to determine the validity of the order under state domestic relations law?

No. A plan administrator is generally not required to determine whether the issuing court or agency had jurisdiction to issue an order, whether state law is correctly applied in the order, whether service was properly made on the parties, or whether an individual identified in an order as an alternate payee is in fact a spouse, former spouse, child, or other dependent of the participant under state law.

[See Advisory Opinion 92-17A (Appendix A)]

Q 2-9: Is a plan administrator required to reject a domestic relations order as defective if the order fails to specify factual identifying information that is easily obtainable by the plan administrator?

No. In many cases, an order that is submitted to a plan may clearly describe the identity and rights of the parties, but may be incomplete only with respect to factual identifying information within the plan administrator’s knowledge or easily obtained through a simple communication with the alternate payee or the participant. For example, an order may misstate the plan’s name or the names of participants or alternate payees, and the plan administrator can clearly determine the correct names, or an order may omit the addresses of participants or alternate payees, and the plan administrator’s records include this information. In such a case, the plan administrator should supplement the order with the appropriate identifying information, rather than rejecting the order as not qualified.

[ERISA §§ 206(d)(3)(C), 206(d)(3)(I); IRC § 414(p)(2); see S. Rep. 575, 98th Cong., 2d Sess. at 20]

Q 2-10: How long may the plan administrator take to determine whether a domestic relations order is a QDRO?

Plan administrators must determine whether a domestic relations order is a QDRO within a reasonable period of time after receiving the order. What is a reasonable period will depend on the specific circumstances. For example, a domestic relations order that is clear and complete when submitted should require less time to review than an order that is incomplete or unclear. See also Question 2-12.

Plans are required to adopt reasonable procedures for determining the qualified status of domestic relations orders. Compliance with such procedures should ensure that determinations of the qualified status of an order take place within a reasonable period of time. Procedures that unduly inhibit or hamper the QDRO determination process will not be considered reasonable procedures. See Question 2-4.

[ERISA § 206(d)(3)(G)(i)(II); IRC § 414(p)(6)(A)(ii)]

Q 2-11: What must the plan administrator do during the determination process to protect against wrongly paying pension benefits to the participant that would be paid to the alternate payee if the domestic relations order had been determined to be a QDRO?

During any period in which the issue of whether a domestic relations order is a QDRO is being determined (by a plan administrator, by a court of competent jurisdiction, or otherwise), ERISA requires that the plan administrator separately account for the amounts that would be payable to an alternate payee under the terms of the order during such period if the order had been determined to be qualified. These amounts are referred to as "segregated amounts." During the period in which the status of a domestic relations order is being determined, the plan administrator must take steps to ensure that amounts that would have been payable to the alternate payee, if the order were a QDRO, are not distributed to the participant or any other person.

The plan administrator’s duty to separately account for and to preserve the segregated amounts is limited in time. ERISA provides that the plan administrator must preserve the segregated amounts for not longer than the end of an "18-month period." This "18-month period" does not begin until the first date (after the plan receives the order) that the order would require payment to the alternate payee.

It is the view of the Department that, in order to ensure the availability of a full 18- month protection period, the 18 months cannot begin before the plan receives a domestic relations order. Rather, the "18-month period" will begin on the first date on which a payment would be required to be made under an order following receipt by the plan. See Questions 2-12 and 2-13, which discuss how benefits should be treated when determinations on qualified status are made either before or after the beginning of the "18-month period."

[ERISA §§ 206(d)(3)(H), 404(a); IRC § 414(p)(7)]

Q 2-12: What are an administrator’s duties with respect to a domestic relations order received by the plan before the beginning of the "18-month period"?

As explained in Question 2-10, a plan administrator must determine whether a domestic relations order is a QDRO within a reasonable period following receipt. In the view of the Department, the "18-month period" during which a plan administrator must preserve the "segregated amounts" (see Question 2-11) is not the measure of the reasonable period for determining the qualified status of an order and in most cases would be an unreasonably long period of time to take to review an order.

It is further the view of the Department that, during the determination period, the administrator, as a plan fiduciary, may not permit distributions to the participant or any other person of any amounts that would be payable to the alternate payee if the domestic relations order were determined to be a QDRO. If the domestic relations order is determined to be a QDRO before the first date on which benefits are payable to the alternate payee, the plan administrator has a continuing duty to account for and to protect the alternate payee’s interest in the plan to the same extent that the plan administrator is obliged to account for and to protect the interests of the plan’s participants. The plan administrator also has a fiduciary duty to pay out benefits in accordance with the terms of the QDRO.

The Department understands that orders that are initially rejected by the plan administrator as not qualified are frequently revised and resubmitted within a short period of time. The Department also recognizes that in some instances plan administrators who reject an order may receive requests from participants for immediate distribution of benefits under circumstances that suggest that the rejected order is being revised and will shortly be resubmitted to the plan. In such circumstances, the plan administrator may be subject to conflicting claims for either paying the benefit or failing to pay the benefit. The Department suggests that plan administrators may wish to consider the establishment of a process for providing preliminary or interim review of orders, and postponing final determinations for limited periods, to permit parties to correct defects within the 18-month segregation period. Such a process would reduce the likelihood of conflicting claims.

[ERISA §§ 206(d)(3)(H), 404(a)]

Q 2-13: What are an administrator’s duties with respect to a domestic relations order received on or after the date on which benefits would be payable to an alternate payee under the order?

Upon receipt of a domestic relations order, the administrator must separately account for and preserve the amounts that would be payable to an alternate payee until a determination is made with respect to the status of the order. See Questions 2-11, 2-12. If, within the "18-month period" — beginning with the date (after receipt of the order by the plan) on which the first payment would be required to be made to an alternate payee under the order — the plan administrator determines that the order is a QDRO, the plan administrator must pay the segregated amounts to the alternate payee in accordance with the terms of the QDRO. If, however, the plan administrator determines within the "18-month period" that the order is not a QDRO, or if the status of the order is not resolved by the end of the "18-month period," the plan administrator must pay out the segregated amounts to the person or persons who would have been entitled to such amounts if there had been no order. If the order is later determined to be a QDRO, the order will apply only prospectively; that is, the alternate payee will be entitled only to amounts payable under the order after the subsequent determination. See Question 2-12.

[ERISA §§ 206(d)(3)(H), 404(a); IRC § 414(p)(7); but see H.R. Conf. Rep. No. 841, 99th Cong., 2d Sess. II-858 (describing 1986 amendments to the Retirement Equity Act of 1984, including clarification of the procedures to be followed during the 18-month segregation period for QDRO determinations)]

Q 2-14: What kind of notice is required to be provided by a plan administrator following a QDRO determination?

The plan administrator is required to notify the participant and each alternate payee of the administrator’s determination as to whether the order constitutes a QDRO. This notice should be in writing and furnished promptly following a determination.

In the case of a determination that an order is not qualified, the notice should include the reasons for the rejection. It is the view of the Department that, in most instances where there has been a reasonable good faith effort to prepare a qualified domestic relations order, the parties will attempt to correct any deficiencies in the order and resubmit a corrected order for the plan administrator to review. The Department believes that, where a reasonable good faith effort has been made to draft a QDRO, prudent plan administration requires the plan administrator to furnish to the parties the information, advice, and guidance that is reasonably required to understand the reasons for a rejection, either as part of the notification process or otherwise, if such information, advice, and guidance could serve to reduce multiple submissions of deficient orders and therefore the burdens and costs to plans attendant on review of such orders.

The notice of the plan administrator’s determination should be written in a manner that can be understood by the parties. Multiple submissions and unnecessary expenses may be avoided by clearly communicating in the rejection notice:

  • the reasons why the order is not a QDRO;
  • references to the plan provisions on which the plan administrator’s determination is based;
  • an explanation of any time limits that apply to rights available to the parties under the plan (such as the duration of any protective actions the plan administrator will take); and
  • a description of any additional material, information, or modifications necessary for the order to be a QDRO and an explanation of why such material, information, or modifications are necessary.

[ERISA §§ 206(d)(3)(G)(i)(II), 206(d)(3)(I);IRC § 414(p)(6)(A)(ii)]

Q 2-15: What effect does an order that a plan administrator has determined to be a QDRO have on the administration of the plan?

The plan administrator must act in accordance with the provisions of the QDRO as if it were a part of the plan. In particular, if, under a plan, a participant has the right to elect the form in which benefits will be paid, and the QDRO gives the alternate payee that right, the plan administrator must permit the alternate payee to exercise that right under the circumstances and in accordance with the terms that would apply to the participant, as if the alternate payee were the participant.

[ERISA §§ 206(d)(3)(A), 206(d)(3)(E)(i)(III); IRC §§ 401(a)(13)(B), 414(p)(4)(A)(iii)]

Q 2-16: What disclosure rights does an alternate payee have under a QDRO?

ERISA provides that a person who is an alternate payee under a QDRO generally shall be considered a beneficiary under the plan for purposes of ERISA. Accordingly, the alternate payee must be furnished, upon written request, copies of a variety of documents, including the latest summary plan description, the latest annual report, any final annual report, and the bargaining agreement, trust agreement, contract, or other instrument under which the plan is established or operated. The administrator may impose a reasonable charge to cover the cost of furnishing such copies. It is the view of the Department that, at such time as benefit payments to the alternate payee commence under the QDRO, the alternate payee must be treated as a "beneficiary receiving benefits under the plan" and automatically furnished the summary plan description, summaries of material plan changes, and the plan’s summary annual report.

[ERISA §§ 104, 105, 206(d)(3)(J), 404(a); 29 CFR § 2520.104b-1 et seq.]

Q 2-17: What happens to the rights created by a QDRO if the plan to which the QDRO applies is amended, merged into another plan, or is maintained by a successor employer?

The rights of an alternate payee under a QDRO are protected in the event of plan amendments, a plan merger, or a change in the sponsor of the plan to the same extent that rights of participants or beneficiaries are protected with respect to benefits accrued as of the date of the event.

[ERISA §§ 204(g), 206(d)(3)(A), 403(c)(1); IRC §§ 401(a)(13)(B), 411(d)(6); see Staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation, Explanation of Technical Corrections to the Tax Reform Act of 1984 and Other Recent Tax Legislation, 100th Cong., 1st Sess. (Comm. Print 1987) at 224]

Q 2-18: What happens to the rights created by a QDRO if a plan is terminated?

In the view of the Department, the rights granted by a QDRO must be taken into account in the termination of a plan as if the terms of the QDRO were part of the plan. To the extent that the QDRO grants the alternate payee part of the participant’s benefits, the plan administrator, in terminating the plan, must provide the alternate payee with the notification, consent, payment, or other rights that it would have provided to the participant with respect to that portion of the participant’s benefits.

[ERISA §§ 206(d)(3)(A), 403(d)]

Q 2-19: What happens to the rights created by a QDRO if a defined benefit plan is terminated and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation becomes trustee of the Plan?

The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) is a Federal agency that insures pension benefits in most private-sector defined benefit pension plans. It is important to note that not all plans are insured by PBGC and not all plans that terminate become trusteed by PBGC. For example, defined contribution plans (including 401(k) plans) are generally not covered by PBGC’s insurance. In addition, most defined benefit plans that terminate have sufficient assets to pay all benefits. PBGC does not trustee these plans. See Question 3-4 for a discussion of these basic types of pension plans.

When an insured plan terminates without enough money to pay all guaranteed benefits, PBGC becomes trustee of the terminating plan and pays the plan benefits subject to certain limits on amount and form. For instance, PBGC does not pay certain death and supplemental benefits. In addition, benefit amounts paid by PBGC are limited by ERISA, and the forms of benefit PBGC pays are also limited.

PBGC has special rules that apply to payment of benefits under QDROs. For example, if a QDRO is issued prior to plan termination, PBGC will not modify the form of benefit payable to an alternate payee specified in the QDRO. If, in contrast, a QDRO is issued after plan termination, PBGC will generally limit the form of benefit that PBGC will pay under the QDRO to the form permitted by PBGC in other circumstances (generally a single life annuity). There are other special rules that apply to the administration by PBGC of QDROs. These rules are explained in PBGC’s booklet, Divorce Orders & PBGC.

For information about a specific domestic relations order or QDRO affecting a plan trusteed by PBGC, write to PBGC QDRO Coordinator, P.O. Box 19153, Washington, D.C. 20036-0153. For information about terminated pension plans that PBGC has trusteed, benefit information with respect to a participant in a PBGC-trusteed plan, or to request a copy of PBGC’s booklet, call PBGC’s Customer Service Center at 1-800-400-PBGC. The booklet is also available on PBGC’s Internet Homepage at https://www.pbgc.gov

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