What Does It Mean To Be Vested In Your Retirement Plan? 
To be vested in your retirement plan means that you can take that money with you when you leave your place of employment , or that you will receive it when you retire . If you are vested for a percent of your retirement plan , that type of vesting is called graded vesting . If you left the company , that percent is how much you get . With cliff vesting , you usually need to stay 5 or more years to get any benefits . If you stay the required number of years , you are 100 % vested and get all that is in your retirement plan . If you have a 401 -LRB- k -RRB- paid for by your salary , you are immediately 100 % vested in the part you paid for . Vesting for the part contributed to your 401 -LRB- k -RRB- by your employer goes by the vesting guidelines set up by your employer . 