24 Jul My ex is retiring. How do I get my part of his pension?

Q. My ex-husband is soon to retire from a New Jersey police department. We were married for over 10 years. At the beginning of the marriage, I remember signing pension documents. I never received a copy of those papers. How can I get ahold of these papers without contacting him?
— Debating

A. Whether or not you may need to contact him — or have an attorney reach out on your behalf — will depend on the details of your divorce.

The specifics matter.

You hopefully filed a QDRO, short for or Qualified Domestic Relations Order, when you divorced, said Jody D’Agostini, a certified financial planner with The Falcon Financial Group in Morristown.

“This splits the marital portion of his pension in half and creates your benefit, allowing you to access the pension,” she said.

Assuming this happened, you should be able to check the account online or you can call (609) 292-7524, she said.

“If this was not done, you can still claim the marital portion, but you should file the QDRO before he retires,” she said.

You may be entitled to half of the pension that was earned during the marriage. But given that New Jersey is an equitable distribution state, it’s possible during your divorce your marital assets were split up differently.

To make sure you receive what you’re due, you should take your divorce paperwork, hopefully including the QDRO, and speak to a qualified family law attorney who can review your case and advise based on the specifics.

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This story was originally published on July 24, 2023.

NJMoneyHelp.com presents certain general financial planning principles and advice, but should never be viewed as a substitute for obtaining advice from a personal professional advisor who understands your unique individual circumstances.