Request a Sick Note
If you’re unwell and cannot work, a sick note (sometimes called a fit note, sick line or medical statement) provides evidence of the advice you have been given about your fitness to work. You might need a fit note if you’re unwell and cannot work for more than 7 days, including weekends and bank holidays. You can also use your sick note to help you claim benefits or statutory sick pay (SSP).
To request a sick note online, fill out the short form below and. We’ll ask you a few questions to help you get started.
A sick note helps provide evidence of medical advice you have been given about whether you’re fit to work, and how much work you can do, for your employer.
We can issue you with a sick note after a full assessment of your fitness to work. To do this, one of our clinicians may need access to your full medical record or to invite you for a consultation. If they decide that your health affects your fitness for work, they can issue a sick note. They’ll advise that you are either:
- “not fit for work”
- “may be fit for work”
Our clinician will choose the “may be fit for work” option if they think that you are able to do some work, though this may not be the usual work you do. They may also advise that you get some extra support from your employer, which you should discuss with them. For example, our clinician may suggest possible changes, like:
- returning to work gradually, for example, by starting part-time
- temporarily working different hours
- performing different duties or tasks
- having other support to do your job—for example, if you have back pain, avoiding heavy lifting
If your employer is unable to accommodate these kinds of changes, then the sick note is treated as though it said “unfit for work”.
Clinical information taken from nhs.uk and nhsinform.scot.
You need a sick note if you’re off work sick for more than 7 days.
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 yourself. You can do this by filling in a form when you return to work. This is called self-certification.
Many employers have their own self-certification forms that they can give you to fill in. If your employer doesn’t have their own form, you can download this self-certification form (PDF) provided by HMRC. Please print it out, fill it in and hand it in to your employer.
You should go back to work as soon as you feel able to, but you don’t need medical permission to do so.
Talk to your employer if you feel well enough to return to work before the end date on your fit note—for example, if:
- you’ve recovered from your illness or injury sooner than expected
- your employer is able to make reasonable adjustments to help you return to work (GOV.UK)
Clinical information taken from nhs.uk.
