Qualified Domestic Relations Order (QDRO)

A court order that recognizes or creates a spouse’s or a former spouse’s right to a portion of a member’s retirement annuity. Commonly referred to as QDRO. This individual cannot receive his or her share of the member’s retirement annuity until the member retires, withdraws the contributions, or dies. A divorce decree that assigns this portion to an ex-spouse is not necessarily a valid QDRO. Direct payment by the Retirement Systems is not possible unless the court enters an order that the Retirement Systems determines is acceptable under its guidelines pursuant to S.C. Code Ann. 9-18-10 (supp. 2000).