Sick (fit) notes

If you’ve been off sick for more than 7 days

You can request a sick note; the note can say that: 

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

To request a sick note:

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 may have to pay if you get a fit note when you are off sick for seven days or less.

Find out more about sick notes on the NHS website.