If you’ve been off sick for more than 7 days
You can request a Sick/Fit Note when you have been ill for more than 7 days in a row and have taken sick leave. This includes non-working days, such as weekends and bank holidays.
When making a request, please provide details of your illness, as well as the expected dates of absence (including return to work). Sick/Fit Notes do not need to be issued in advance of a period of illness, and can be issued retrospectively. On receipt of your request, the doctor may call you or arrange for an appointment.
Where possible, you will receive a text message with link to retrieve your certificate – you will be asked to enter your date of birth as verification. The certificate can then be downloaded and saved to your phone or computer for future use.
Please note Sick/Fit notes can only be issued on the date they are due, and cannot be forward dated.
To request a sick note:
- fill out a sick note request form
If you’ve been off sick for 7 days or less
If you’re off work sick for 7 days or less, your employer should not ask for medical evidence that you’ve been ill. Instead, they 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. We call this self-certification.
You can complete an Employee’s statement of sickness to claim Statutory Sick Pay form (SC2) which can be downloaded from the GOV.UK Website. Ask your employer for Statutory Sick Pay – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Some employers insist on a Doctor’s note from the start of your absence. A Doctor’s note under these circumstances may involve a charge which your employer may cover.
Please see the following links for more information:
https://www.gov.uk/taking-sick-leave
Find out more about sick notes on the NHS website.
