Is Esop A Qualified Retirement Plan? 
An ESOP -LRB- employee stock ownership plan -RRB- can be either qualified or non-qualified . Essentially each plan is funded with employer stock but beyond that there are differences . A non-qualified ESOP is not subject to ERISA and they do not have the same tax favored benefits as a qualified ESOP . Non-qualified ESOPs have a risk of forfeiture and can be used in a golden handcuffs arrangement . 