Your employer may add to your account, in some cases by matching a certain percentage of your contributions (Department of Labor). Vesting means ownership: your own contributions are always 100% vested. Under the IRS minimum standards, graded vesting reaches 20% after 2 years of service, then 40%, 60%, 80% and 100% after 6 years; cliff vesting gives 100% after 3 years. Plans can be faster. Sources: U.S. Department of Labor, EBSA; IRS, Retirement topics: Vesting.
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