There is no time period that I am aware of. I do know that you have to sign a Distribution Election Form where you elect to have your Profit Sharing rolled over to an IRA account or paid directly to you. If the latter of the two is chosen, you will only receive 78% of your vested account balance and 20% will be withheld for Federal taxes and 2% for State taxes. You will also need to sign a Consent to Distribution and Selection of Form of Benefit. Again on this form you will elect the payment type, whether it is a lump sum or rollover to an IRA, but most important, it has a Consent of Spouse that would need to be signed if applicable. Your employer should be able to provide you with this forms. If you are still having a problem you might want to contact the US Department of Labor in Washington, DC (Employee Benefit Securities).