Updated October 22, 2026. Quick answer: The ATRS Member Handbook says a Qualified Domestic Relations Order (QDRO) is the only method by which part of a member’s benefits can go to a former spouse after a divorce, and a divorce decree alone will not be accepted. ATRS will not accept a QDRO if the member has less than 5 years of actual service credit, and the order should be approved by ATRS before it is entered with the court.
What this covers
The Member Handbook has a section headed “Divorce Before and After Retirement”, and a later one on divorce, marriage and beneficiary designations. This page quotes both. For the wider choices, see Arkansas ATRS retirement decisions and public pension retirement decisions.
What the handbook says about the order
Each row is the handbook’s own wording.
| Topic | What the handbook says |
|---|---|
| Who may share in a benefit | “Your former spouse may be entitled to receive a portion of your contributions or retirement benefits if you were a member of the System at any time during your marriage.” |
| What a court must enter | “A court will need to enter an ATRS-approved qualified domestic relations order before your former spouse can receive a portion of your contributions or retirement benefits.” |
| Minimum service | “ATRS will not accept a qualified domestic relations order for your case if you have less than 5 years of actual service credit.” |
| A divorce decree alone | “a decree alone will not be accepted.” |
| When to get approval | “it should be approved BEFORE having the qualified domestic relations order entered and filed with the court.” |
The handbook’s opening statement
“A Qualified Domestic Relations Order (QDRO) is the only method in which a portion of a member’s benefits can be allocated to a member’s former spouse, or other designee, following a divorce.” “While a divorce decree can grant the former spouse a portion of the member’s ATRS retirement benefit or contributions, a decree alone will not be accepted.” The handbook sends members to the ATRS Legal section: “If you think an ATRS-approved qualified domestic relations order is or will be needed for your divorce, please contact the ATRS Legal section for more information”.
Annuity option beneficiaries after a divorce
The handbook has separate answers depending on the annuity option and on whether the former spouse was the only beneficiary. For a member whose former spouse was one of several Option A or Option B beneficiaries and more than a year has passed since retirement, it says:
- “You cannot change your Option A or Option B annuity election;”
- “Your former spouse will remain as your option beneficiary if you do not choose to remove them as your beneficiary;”
- “You may choose to remove your former spouse as one of your designated beneficiaries, but you cannot select another beneficiary to replace your former spouse.”
For a former spouse who is the only Option C beneficiary, the handbook lets the member name another Option C beneficiary or switch to a straight life annuity, and adds: “If you do not designate another Option C beneficiary and you pass away before receiving all 120 monthly retirement benefit payments, the remaining balance of the 120 monthly retirement benefits will be paid to your former spouse.”
Remarriage
The handbook says “you may designate your new spouse as your Option A or Option B beneficiary once you have been married to your new spouse for at least 1-year.” “You must designate your new spouse as your Option A or Option B beneficiary within 6 months of meeting the 1-year marriage requirement.”
What the handbook does not say
The section gives no model order language, no division percentages and no dollar example. How a pension is divided in practice is a matter for the court order and ATRS; see the related guides on this site, such as what a QDRO must say and divorce and your money. How a survivor choice works is on survivor benefits from a government pension.
Edition
This page reads the Arkansas Teacher Retirement System (ATRS), Member Handbook, 2026-2027 school year, the file ATRS served on 2026-10-22. It describes ATRS, the system for Arkansas public school teachers and other covered education employees. Other Arkansas systems (APERS, LOPFI and the rest) have their own rules, and Arkansas law and your own member account control over this summary.
Common mistakes
- Relying on the divorce decree. The handbook says “a decree alone will not be accepted.”
- Filing the order with the court before ATRS has seen it. The handbook says it “should be approved BEFORE having the qualified domestic relations order entered and filed with the court.”
- Assuming a short-service member can use a QDRO. The handbook says ATRS “will not accept a qualified domestic relations order for your case if you have less than 5 years of actual service credit.”
Related: Arkansas ATRS retirement decisions, public pension retirement decisions, divorce and your money, and what a QDRO must say.
Find the right next step for your situation
About how much do you have invested? Pick the range that fits; your next step appears immediately below.
Talk to an advisor about pension and divorce
For U.S. investors with $250,000 or more in investable assets. WiserAdvisor is an independent service matching you with 2 to 3 vetted advisers. Its form asks for your ZIP code and answers to a few questions; a match is not guaranteed.
Free to request, with no obligation to hire. By submitting, you consent to calls, texts and emails from WiserAdvisor and up to three advisers. Advisers pay for introductions.
Clear Money Guide may earn a referral payment for a qualifying completed form. An introduction is not a Clear Money Guide recommendation.
Opens on WiserAdvisor’s site in a new tab.
Explore advisor help with pension choices
Price the destination before you decide. The matching service below introduces you to advisers who pay to meet you.
Before you start, what actually happens. The form is run by Kapitalwise, our advisor-matching partner. Kapitalwise sends your details to advisers who pay for the introduction, so expect calls and texts. Clear Money Guide may earn a referral payment for a qualifying submitted form, whether or not you ever hire anyone. This is free to you and there is no obligation to hire anyone.
The Kapitalwise form opens here; you stay on this page.
What happens when you press the button
It asks about nine questions: age, investable assets, location; then your name, email and phone number, and verifies the phone by text. Nothing loads and nothing reaches Kapitalwise until you press the button.
Prefer flat-fee or hourly pricing instead? Compare ranges here.
Answer againSources
- Arkansas Teacher Retirement System (ATRS), Member Handbook, 2026-2027 school year: www.artrs.gov
- Related official page (not quoted): Arkansas Teacher Retirement System, official site: www.artrs.gov
- Related official page (not quoted): IRS, Retirement topics: Divorce: www.irs.gov
- Related official page (not quoted): IRS, Retirement topics: QDRO: www.irs.gov
Read from the pension system handbooks linked above on October 22, 2026. General information, not tax advice. Your own facts decide the outcome, and a pension system or a qualified professional is the right place to confirm anything consequential.