What does the term "vesting" refer to in retirement plans?

Vesting in retirement plans refers specifically to how long an employee must work at a company before they gain full ownership of the employer's contributions to their retirement account. This is crucial because many employers will match employee contributions or contribute a certain amount to the employee's retirement savings. However, these contributions often come with a vesting schedule, which dictates that the employee must stay with the company for a set period before they can fully access those employer contributions if they leave the company. This incentivizes employee retention and ties the benefits of the employer contributions to the length of service. Therefore, the definition related to how long an employee must work to own those contributions directly aligns with the concept of vesting.