If you're off work sick for seven days or less, your employer should not ask for medical evidence that you've been ill. The seven days includes days that you don't normally work. When you work out how long you have been off sick, you should include weekends and bank holidays.
If you're off work sick for more than seven days, your employer will usually ask you to provide proof that you've been ill. They will normally ask for a fit note from your GP.
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 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 its own form, it may use an SC2 form from HM Revenue and Customs instead: Employee's Statement of Sickness.
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. Your doctor will assess you, and if he or she decides that your health affects your fitness for work, they can issue a fit note and advise that:
- you are "not fit for work"
- you "may be fit for work taking into account the following advice"
For more information, including what "may be fit for work" means, see What are fit notes?
If you need a fit note, contact us and we will advise you if you need to make an appointment. We can often provided sicknotes without seeing patients if for example you have been in hospital.
There is never a charge from an NHS doctor for providing a fit note if you're off sick from work for more than seven days.