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 If you’re off work sick for seven days or less, your employer should not ask for medical evidence that you’ve been ill.

If you’re off work sick for more than seven days, your employer will usually ask you to provide evidence or proof that you’ve been ill. They will normally ask for a fit note from your GP. Fit note is the informal name for the Statement of Fitness for Work. Fit notes replaced sick notes from April 6 2010.

The seven days include days that you don’t normally work. So when you work out how long you’ve been off sick, you should include weekends and bank holidays.

Sickness of seven days or less

Your employer can ask you to confirm that you’ve been ill. You can do this by filling in a form yourself when you return to work. This is called self-certification.

Self-certification forms

Self-certification forms usually include details such as:

• information about your sickness or illness
• the date your sickness started
• the date your sickness ended

These dates may be days that you don’t normally work. For example, your sickness could start or end on a Saturday, Sunday or bank holiday.

Many employers have their own self-certification forms. If your employer doesn’t have their own form, instead they may use an SC2 form from HM Revenue & Customs: Employee’s Statement of Sickness (PDF, 53kb).

Sickness of more than seven days

If you’re sick and off work for more than seven days, your employer will probably ask for proof of your illness. Most employers ask for a fit note from your GP.

However, this will also depend on your employer’s company policy on sick leave (or sickness absence). This policy should tell you how many days you can be off sick before you need to provide proof of illness or a fit note. 

Fit notes and how to get one

A fit note must be signed by a doctor, such as your GP. On the fit note, your GP can advise that:

• you are ‘not fit for work’
• you ‘may be fit for work’

For more information, including what ‘may be fit for work’ means, see What are fit notes?

If you need a fit note, you should contact your GP practice. They may advise you to make an appointment or book a telephone consultation.

If you’re under the care of a hospital, your fit note may be issued by the hospital, rather than by your GP.

There is never a charge from an NHS doctor for providing a fit note if you’re off work sick for more than seven days.

Charges for fit notes

Some employers may request a fit note, for example, from employees who repeatedly take time off sick, even if, each time they’re off work, it’s for seven days or less.

For sickness of seven days or less, your GP practice may charge you to provide a fit note. Your GP practice can tell you what their charges are.

Read the answers to more questions about workplace health.

Further information:

• What are fit notes?
• Can I get signed off sick from work without seeing my GP?
• Can I go back to work before the end date on my fit note?
• What if I’m off work with swine flu for more than seven days?
• Live Well: workplace health
• Directgov: Statement of Fitness for Work (fit note) 
• Directgov: time off for sickness
• Directgov: company sick pay rights
• Directgov: Statutory Sick Pay
• Department for Work and Pensions: sample fit note (PDF, 77kb)
• Department for Work and Pensions: the fit note explained (PDF, 551kb)

 

Last reviewed: 06/04/2010

Next review due: 05/04/2012