If you’ve been off sick for more than 7 days
The ‘fit note’ was introduced on 6 April 2010. With your employer’s support, the note will help you return to work sooner by providing more information about the effects of your illness or injury.
To request a sick note:
- Request a sick note through our eConsult platform
- In your NHS account (through the NHS website or NHS App)
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.
Your employer may require you to complete a self-certification form (SC2) which is available from your employer or on the HMRC website.
Find out more about sick notes on the NHS website.