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Fit Notes
Learn more about fit notes (sickness certificates)
Request a Fit Note
If you are off work for 7 days or less, you do not need to give your employer a fit note or other proof of sickness from a medical professional, and we will not provide one.
Your employer may require you to complete a self-certification form. They may have their own form for you to complete, or you can download an SC2 from the HMRC website.
If you feel well enough to return to work before the expiry of your Fit Note then, with your employers agreement, you should do so. For example, you may want to return if you've recovered from your illness or injury more quickly than expected, or if your employer can offer you support to help you to return to work. Your GP does not need to authorise or approve this.
As part of their internal process, some employers ask for medical evidence that employees are fit to return to work; if this is the case, your employer should help you to arrange this with a GP or occupational health specialist, we cannot issue a Fit Note for this purpose. You are welcome to direct your employer to this webpage for confirmation.
You may be required to give your employer a Fit Note (sometimes called a ‘sick note’) if you’ve been ill for more than 7 days in a row (including non-working days, such as weekends and Bank Holidays) and have taken continuous sick leave.
In order for us to provide an initial Fit Note, we will usually need to see you or speak to you and so in the first instance, please complete an eConsult or call us to arrange an appointment.
If you would like to request the continuation of a previous Fit Note, issued either by your GP or by another medical professional, for example after a hospital discharge, and have already taken sick leave for more than 7 days in a row, please request your continuing Fit Note here.
Your GP will review your request and your medical record and will either issue the Fit Note within 7 days, or contact you for an appointment if they need to speak to you.
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