PeopleMuster

Medical certificate request

Medical certificates get rejected over missing details, not over the illness. Four details decide whether a note is accepted: the dates, the fitness statement, the issue date and a legible signature.

Use this before a doctor's appointment, when your absence has run past the point where your workplace accepts your word alone. Ask for the certificate during the visit, not afterwards.

To ask your doctor, during the appointment:

"I need a certificate for my employer. Could it state the dates I am unfit for work, and the date you are writing it?"

To send the certificate on:

Subject: Medical certificate — [your name] — [absence dates]

Hello [manager's name],

Attached is the certificate covering my absence from [first day] to [last day].

It confirms I was unfit for work over those dates. [fitness note]

Let me know if [HR contact] needs anything further or a different format.

[your name]

Check before you send. The certificate should show:

- your full name, spelled as your employer has it
- the exact dates covered
- a statement that you were unfit for work
- the date it was issued, and the doctor's signature or stamp

What to put in each blank

[fitness note]
Add any restriction the doctor wrote down, such as lighter duties for a week. Leave it out if there is none.
[HR contact]
Name the person who files these. It saves the letter being forwarded twice.

Before you send it

  • A certificate issued weeks later is often refused. Get it at the appointment.
  • Send a scan and keep the original. Originals go missing between desks.
  • Your diagnosis is not required on most certificates. A fitness statement is what an employer needs.

A certificate can be attached to the leave record it belongs to

Questions people ask about this letter

When does a workplace ask for a medical certificate?

Most set their own threshold, often after a few consecutive days. Check your own policy, because the number differs from employer to employer.

Does the certificate have to name my illness?

Usually not. A statement that you were unfit for work over specific dates is what most employers file.

What if my doctor dates it wrongly?

Ask for a corrected copy straight away. Dates that do not match your absence are the single most common reason a note is queried.

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