Blog: Retirement Plans

To determine a participant's vested account balance, the participant's vesting service must be calculated in one of two ways:

• The actual hours method, or
• The elapsed time method

If actual hours of service are counted, the number of hours of service required for a “year of service“ may not be more than 1,000. If the plan uses the elapsed time method, an employee will be credited with a “year of service“ for each period of

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To qualify for the special tax treatment offered to qualified Retirement Plans by the Tax Code and IRS, a plan must meet certain qualification requirements, including:

• The plan must be in writing ...
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A qualified domestic relations order (QDRO) is a legal document, filed with the court, that instructs the Plan Administrator of a Defined Benefit plan how benefits are to be divided between separating or divorcing parties. 

The person to whom the participant's interest is transferred is called the "alternate payee." Generally, the alternate payee is the participant's divorcing spouse (including ...