Your employer can take back its 401(k) match if the funds haven’t fully vested. For example, if your company uses a five-year graded vesting schedule (meaning matching funds would gradually vest over five years) and you left after three years, you’d be 60% vested. If your account had $10,000 worth of employer contributions, you’d get to keep $6,000. The remaining $4,000 would go into a 401(k) forfeiture account.