how is a qdro paid out 
there are number of ways in which retirement plan assets can be paid out options include receiving a lump sum installment payments or transferring the funds to another retirement account 2the bottom linea qrdo is used to divide retirement plan assets in a divorce it can only be used for retirement plans covered by erisa this includes qualified plans such as 401 k s but not iras typically filed by an ex spouse a qrdo must be approved by both the plan administrator and a court while qdros have specific requirements they are not standardized each varies based on the type of retirement plan how assets are paid and whether or not there are dependents among other nuances 