Sick (fit) Notes

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.

Read more about sick (fit) notes on the NHS website.

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

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

To request a new sick note:

The same applies to requesting an extension to your current sick note if you require further time off. You can also use the form on this page to request an extension.

All sick notes are issued electronically to your telephone number or email address in the first instance but a paper copy is available upon request.

Page last reviewed: 28 November 2025
Page created: 03 November 2022