| Period off Work | Certificate |
| 1 – 3 days | No certificate or a private certificate signed by a doctor; fee payable for the latter. |
| 4-6 days (including weekends) | SC1 (Self-certificate) completed by patient, or private certificate signed by a doctor; fee payable for the latter. |
| 7 days – 28 weeks | Fitness to work certificate certifying inability to work signed by a doctor; no fee. |
| 28 weeks or more | as above |
Employees only need a fit note from a doctor after 7 days off work sick. If they are ill just before or during their holiday, they can take it as sick leave instead. You can find out more on the Gov.uk website.