Sick (Fit) notes

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

To request a sick note:

For first fit notes, you will need to book an appointment.

Follow-on fit notes can be requested through the online form.

If you have had a hospital procedure, you should request a fit note from the hospital team.

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 and you don’t need to see a doctor. 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.

If your employer doesn’t have its own form, you can download one here.

Find out more about sick notes on the NHS website.