Statement of Fitness for Work – “Fit Note”

You do not require a fit note for any illness lasting seven days or less. Your employer may however require you to complete a self-certification form (SC2) which is available from your employer or on the HMRC website.

If you are unwell for more than seven days, your employer can ask you to give them some form of medical evidence to support payment of SSP (statutory sick pay). The NHS provides a fit note which is a certificate signed by your GP to confirm that you are not well enough to be at work.

Your employer’s company policy on sick leave (or sickness absence) should tell you how many days you can be off sick before you need to provide proof of illness or a fit note but your employer is not allowed to ask for a fit note from the GP for absences of less than 7 days.

With your employer’s support, the fit note can help you return to work sooner by providing more information about the effects of your illness or injury. For more information see the DirectGov website

Private sickness certificates

Fit notes are not available to confirm absences from School, College or University. In this instance a private sickness certificate can be provided but there is a fee for this non-NHS service.