what happens to non-invested 401k funds when you leave an employer?

Jan 02, 2010 3 Replies

Say you have $100k assets in a 401k with only 50% vested. What happens to the remaining 50% when you switch employers?



You need to read your plans brochure.

Typically your contribution (or what you bought with it) is always yours. The vested part of their contribution goes to you, the unvested bart of their contribution goes back to them

Not just "typically". I believe federal law requires that you're always 100% vested in your own contributions.

True. They can keep it, or they can allocate the forfeited unvested match to other participants.

-- Rich Carreiro snipped-for-privacy@rlcarr.com

If you withdraw money from your 401k early you pay a penalty. Unless your ex employer puts your unvested funds in another 401k wouldn't they have to pay a penalty themselves? And if they did put your unvested funds into another 401k which 401k would they put it in?

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