A QDRO , or a “qualified domestic relations order,” is a court order that allows for the division of a retirement asset such as a 401(k) or a pension. You and your spouse may decide how to split up your retirement assets in a written property agreement, but, depending on the type of retirement asset involved, a QDRO may be needed to secure the division.  Failure to have a QDRO in place could cause a party to lose rights to the asset, for example, where an ex-wife lost her survivor benefit in her ex-husband’s pension to his current wife because no QDRO was in place when the ex-husband retired.