New Jersey is really different than NYC ! <| sep |> Does the employer take back their contributions ? We have what ' s called fully vested which means the employee gets to keep the full amount of employer contributions , this usually doesn ' t happen until after a certain amount of time working with the company 13 years is typical . Some companies may match 5 % of your earnings , but start at 1 % the first year and increase that amount until your 5 th year when you ' ll get the full amount of the match , this can be fully vested or not in the 14 % range of years . Some companies may give you the full amount the day you start , but it is kept in a separate account until you have become fully vested which then the accounts merge into one . If you leave the company before becoming fully vested the separate account goes under the control of your employer and you lose that money , but you still keep the money you put in .