Medical certificate requirements for sick leave in Australia.
You are allowed to ask for evidence when someone takes sick leave. The rule is one word: reasonable. Here is
what counts as reasonable evidence, how the single-day question works, and where statutory declarations fit.
Last updated June 2026. General information, not legal advice.
Heads up: this guide reflects Australian workplace law and the National Employment Standards. Sick-leave and evidence rules differ in your country. Check your local rules and regulator (Fair Work) before you act.
The short version.
Under the National Employment Standards, you may ask an employee to give reasonable evidence of a genuine
illness or injury. A medical certificate and a statutory declaration both count. The request applies even to a
single day. An employee who gives no evidence when asked may lose the right to be paid for the leave.
What counts as reasonable evidence
The law does not list one exact document. The standard is whether the evidence would satisfy a reasonable
person that the leave was genuine.¹ Two forms are common.
Medical certificate
A note from a registered health practitioner. The most common form. The certificate states the person was unfit for work, not the diagnosis.
Statutory declaration
A signed legal statement. Accepted when a certificate is not reasonably available, for example when the person was unable to see a doctor.
Set the rule in writing.
A clear policy on when you ask for evidence, applied to everyone, keeps the request reasonable and avoids the
sense of singling one person out.
Can you ask for a medical certificate for one day?
Yes. The entitlement to ask for reasonable evidence applies to a single day, not only to long absences. The
word reasonable still governs the request. The Fair Work Commission has noted that asking for a certificate
for one day off may be unreasonable where seeing a doctor would be hard or costly, for example in a remote
area or at short notice.²
Apply the same evidence rule across the whole team.
Accept a statutory declaration when a certificate is not reasonably available.
Award or agreement terms sometimes set their own evidence rules. Check the instrument that covers the role.
What happens when no evidence is given
An employee who does not provide reasonable evidence after a reasonable request may lose the right to be paid
for the leave.¹ The absence still happened, so record it. Treat a missing certificate as a
payment question first, not a conduct question. Raise repeated or unexplained gaps in a return-to-work
conversation, not a confrontation.
Do you need a medical certificate for one day off?
Not automatically. An employer is allowed to ask for reasonable evidence, and the request applies to a single day. Where seeing a doctor for one day would be hard or costly, the request might be unreasonable.
Does a statutory declaration replace a medical certificate?
Yes. A statutory declaration is accepted evidence, especially when a certificate is not reasonably available. The evidence has to satisfy a reasonable person the leave was genuine.
Does the certificate have to state the illness?
No. A certificate confirms the person was unfit for work. It does not have to name the condition. Treat any health detail you do receive as sensitive and keep it private.
Record the absence and the evidence in one place.
Absence logs each absence, flags a missing certificate, and keeps sensitive notes masked from non-admins.
Free for teams of 5.
Fair Work Ombudsman, notice and medical certificates for paid sick and carer's leave. An employer may ask for reasonable evidence, and an employee who gives none may not be entitled to payment.
Fair Work Commission guidance on the reasonableness of evidence requests, including single-day absences where access to a doctor is difficult.
General information only, current as at June 2026, and not a substitute for legal advice. Awards, agreements,
and contracts sometimes set their own evidence rules. For your situation, contact the Fair Work Ombudsman on
13 13 94 or a qualified employment lawyer.
