Social elections 2028 timeline: every key date from X-60 to day Y
The next social elections take place in May 2028. But the first legal obligation does not fall in May 2028: the procedure starts in late 2027, and the calculation of your headcount actually began on 1 October 2026. Here is the full calendar, counted back from polling day, with what the employer must do at each stage.
The principle: a calendar you read backwards
The whole social elections calendar is built around day Y, the day of the vote. Every other milestone is defined relative to it: "day X" (90 days before Y), "day X-60", "day X+35", and so on. You do not pick these dates one by one: you fix day Y, and everything else follows mechanically.
The procedure itself lasts about 150 days, from day X-60 to day Y. But two earlier markers matter just as much: the reference period (already under way) and the preparation work that nothing forces you to do, yet nobody should skip.
Step 0: the reference period (already running)
Before the procedure even begins, there is the headcount calculation. That is what determines whether your company must hold elections, and for which bodies.
For 2028, the reference period runs from 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2027. You calculate the average headcount over these twelve months, counting each worker's days of employment. Part-timers working at least three-quarters of a full-time schedule count as one full unit; below that, they count as half. Temporary agency workers assigned to you enter the calculation under specific rules.
The outcome of this calculation:
- 50 employees on average → you must set up a CPPW (Committee for Prevention and Protection at Work).
- 100 employees on average → you must also elect a works council (WC).
This period started on 1 October 2026. If your headcount is close to 50 or 100, the numbers are being built right now.
Step 1: day X-60 (±December 2027) — the kick-off
This is the real start of the electoral procedure. Sixty days before day X, the employer must communicate a set of information in writing:
- the breakdown into technical business units (TBUs),
- the headcount by staff category,
- the management functions and executive staff.
This communication opens a phase of consultation and, where relevant, of challenge with the workers' representatives. It is also the first date that an unprepared company discovers "late".
Step 2: day X (±February 2028) — the official announcement
On day X, set 90 days before day Y, the employer posts the official announcement of the election date. It is the legal pivot of the calendar: from this day on, every other deadline is counted as "X plus a number of days".
This date also fixes the precise polling date (day Y), the provisional voter lists, and the planned composition of the bodies.
Step 3: day X+35 (±March 2028) — submitting the lists
Thirty-five days after day X, the trade unions submit their candidate lists. A run of closely spaced steps follows: posting the lists, possible objections, appointing witnesses, composing the polling committees. Each has its own date, and each is mandatory.
Step 4: day Y (May 2028) — the vote
On day Y, employees vote. In the 2024 edition, the vote ran from 13 to 26 May 2024, with each company choosing its day inside that window. For 2028, the window remains May 2028, the exact dates being set by law and confirmed by the FPS Employment. On the day itself: voting, counting, then allocation of seats to the WC and the CPPW.
What this means, year by year
- 2026 (right now) — count and think. The reference period is running. This is the time to check whether you cross the thresholds, and to raise the question of the voting method (paper, electronic, hybrid) without pressure.
- 2027 — decide. Choosing a vendor, getting the WC or CPPW agreement on online voting, running a possible tender. These steps take weeks, not days.
- Late 2027 → May 2028 — execute. The legal procedure runs, every date is mandatory, and there is no second chance.
In short
The 2028 social elections calendar reads backwards from the May 2028 vote: day X (±February 2028, the announcement), day X-60 (±December 2027, the real start of the procedure), and above all the reference period that began on 1 October 2026. The procedure lasts 150 days, but the useful work happens before it. Starting early simply means avoiding a last-minute scramble.
To understand the very first step of the procedure, read What is a "technical business unit" (TBU)? Explained with real examples. And if you want to build your timeline now, let's talk.
