The revised EU social security coordination rules are in force, and most of them apply from November 2028
Regulation (EU) 2026/2359, which revises the rules that coordinate social security across the EU, entered into force on 1 November 2026. The European Commission confirmed that most of the updated rules will only apply after two years, from 1 November 2028. The reform amends Regulation 883/2004, the instrument that decides which country’s social security system you belong to when your work crosses a border.
The Commission lists the main changes. Workers must be affiliated to social security in their home country for at least three months before being posted abroad. After 24 months of posting, there must be a break of at least two months before another posting. Postings must be notified before they happen, apart from business trips, and short-term postings of up to three days need no notification in any sector except construction. There are also clearer rules on which country’s law applies to people who work in two or more EU countries.
Why this matters
If you work for clients or an employer in more than one EU country, or travel to work in another member state, the paperwork is moving from after the fact to before it. You now have two years to check whether your pattern of work counts as a posting, a business trip or multi-state work, and which country your contributions belong in. The regulation does not change the separate framework agreement on cross-border telework, which lets people who work from home for an employer in another country do up to 49% of their time remotely without switching system.
Context
RWE covered the final approval of the compromise in September (EU social security coordination overhaul moves to final approval). Separately, the European Commission has been modelling a higher threshold for cross-border telework, but that is a policy discussion, not part of this regulation.
What to watch
Implementing guidance from the Administrative Commission for the Coordination of Social Security Systems, which will set out how notification works in practice before November 2028.