Carer's Leave vs Sick Leave
Carer's leave and sick leave draw from the same 10-day personal/carer's leave entitlement under the Fair Work Act. Sick leave is for your own illness; carer's leave is for supporting an immediate family or household member. Both can be supported by a certificate from an AHPRA-registered GP.
- Same shared 10-day entitlement, two different reasons to use it
- Real-time consultation with an AHPRA-registered GP
- Both draw on the same combined leave balance
- Accepted by employers Australia-wide
- Same-day delivery if approved
- One-off payment
- Full refund if declined
- Same-day delivery if approved
Two Entitlements, One Shared Pool
Most carer's leave certificate requests through OMC Health follow the same real-time process, with AHPRA-registered GPs, including doctors from our partner practices.
Sick leave and carer's leave are often discussed separately, but under the Fair Work system they come from the same combined personal/carer's leave balance.
The key difference is not the number of days available. It is the reason you cannot attend work. Sick leave applies when you are unwell or injured, while carer's leave applies when you need to care for or support someone else who needs your help.
Key Facts
Shared entitlement
Paid sick leave and paid carer's leave draw from the same personal/carer's leave balance.
Main difference
Sick leave covers your own illness or injury. Carer's leave covers caring responsibilities.
Certificate Duration and Leave Balance Are Different Things
The GP's certificate and your workplace leave balance answer different questions. The GP assesses the period where care or support is medically relevant, while Fair Work rules determine how much paid or unpaid carer's leave you have available.
A certificate covering several days does not create additional leave entitlement, and having available leave does not automatically determine the period a GP can certify. The two processes work separately.
Full-time employees generally accrue 10 days of paid personal/carer's leave each year. Part-time employees receive this on a pro-rata basis, while unpaid carer's leave may apply in qualifying situations.
The One Question That Decides Which Certificate You Need
Start with the reason you cannot attend work. The question is whether you are the person needing medical support, or whether someone else needs you to provide care.
Choose sick leave when
You are ill or injured and cannot perform your normal work duties.
Sick leave certificate →Choose carer's leave when
You are well enough to work but need to care for or support an immediate family or household member because of illness, injury or an unexpected emergency.
Carer's leave certificate →If both situations appear relevant, explain the circumstances during the consultation rather than choosing the outcome in advance. The GP assesses the relevant clinical information and the reason for absence.
How to Get Started
We operate as a platform that connects you with trusted Australian medical practices.
Book Your Certificate
Select carer or sick leave certificate on the OMC Health booking page and tell us a bit about your situation.
Consult with an AHPRA-Registered GP
We connect you with an available AHPRA-registered GP from one of our partner practices for a real-time consultation.
Receive Your Certificate If Approved
If the GP determines it's clinically appropriate, your certificate is digitally issued and emailed the same day.
Ready to Get started?
Get your Carer's Certificate from an AHPRA-registered GP. From 9.99.
Paid Personal and Carer's Leave
Full-time employees accrue 10 days of paid personal/carer's leave each year. This balance can be used for either personal illness or caring responsibilities.
Pro-rata Leave Balance
Part-time employees receive paid personal/carer's leave based on their ordinary hours of work compared with a full-time employee.
Unpaid Carer's Leave
Casual employees do not receive paid personal/carer's leave under the National Employment Standards. Unpaid carer's leave can apply in qualifying situations.
What Happens When Your Paid Leave Runs Out?
Using all available paid personal/carer's leave does not automatically end your ability to take carer's leave. Unpaid carer's leave may apply when the caring need continues and the eligibility requirements are met.
Paid Leave and Unpaid Leave Work Differently
Paid entitlement
Available from the employee's accumulated personal/carer's leave balance.
Unpaid entitlement
May apply once paid leave has been exhausted, depending on the circumstances.
How Long Can a Carer's Leave Certificate Cover?
The GP assesses the period where care or support is medically relevant. A certificate may cover a shorter or longer period depending on the circumstances discussed during the consultation.
Avoid treating a two-day, five-day or any other certificate period as a legal leave entitlement. The certificate period and the employee's available leave balance are separate.
What the GP Considers
The GP considers the circumstances requiring care, the employee's caring role, and whether the available information supports the period requested.
If the caring need continues beyond the certified period, a further assessment may be appropriate.
When Employers Can Ask for Evidence
Employers can request evidence that would satisfy a reasonable person that the employee needed to take sick leave or carer's leave.
The evidence requirement applies regardless of whether the leave is paid or unpaid. Medical certificates and other reasonable evidence may be accepted depending on the circumstances.
Simple, transparent pricing
- AHPRA reviewed by a registered GP
- Delivered on the same day if approved
- Secure and confidential
- Full refund if GP declines
- No hidden fees
What Each Certificate Documents
A sick leave certificate documents your own illness or injury and confirms why you were unable to work.
A carer's leave certificate documents your caring responsibility and the circumstances requiring your absence, rather than acting as a detailed medical record for the person you are supporting.
How GPs Approach Each Situation
For sick leave, the GP focuses on your symptoms, health condition and ability to work.
For carer's leave, the GP focuses on the caring circumstances, the support required and whether the information supports your absence from work.
Consult Mode Depends on Clinical Need
Both certificate types require a genuine real-time clinical assessment. The GP may use phone or video depending on the presentation and whether visual assessment is needed.
The Certificate Type Is Based on the Reason for Absence
The consultation mode does not decide whether a certificate is for sick leave or carer's leave. The reason the employee cannot attend work determines the appropriate certificate type.
If visual assessment is clinically necessary, the GP may request video or recommend another form of assessment.
How Employers Treat Both Certificate Types
Employers can request reasonable evidence for both sick leave and carer's leave. The difference is the reason behind the absence, not the evidence standard itself.
A medical certificate may support either type of leave when it reasonably confirms the employee's need for the absence.
Keeping Track of Your Balance
Because sick leave and carer's leave share one balance, keeping track of your total usage helps you understand what remains available during future situations.
Your payslip or workplace payroll system usually shows your current accumulated balance. If you are unsure, your employer can confirm your available leave balance.
Explore Related Medical Certificate Information
Learn more about specific certificate types, evidence requirements and how online medical certificate consultations work.
Need to confirm an issued certificate? Use the verification page with your certificate ID or QR code.
Verify certificate →Frequently asked questions
View all FAQsNot technically, since sick leave is meant to cover your own condition. But because sick leave and carer's leave share the same 10-day pool, the practical effect on your balance is identical either way; the distinction mainly affects how the certificate is worded.
Yes. Both draw on the exact same combined personal and carer's leave entitlement, so the pay you receive while on either type of leave is calculated the same way, using the same shared balance.
Yes, in terms of content. A sick leave certificate documents your condition; a carer's leave certificate documents your caring role and the circumstances that require your absence, without detailing the other person's diagnosis.
If the actual reason for your absence changes partway through, such as your own illness resolving but then needing to care for a family member, the certificate can reflect what genuinely happened, since both draw on the same underlying balance.
Carer's leave and sick leave share the same personal/carer's leave balance under the Fair Work Act. Sick leave applies when you are unwell or injured, while carer's leave applies when you need to care for an immediate family or household member. Both may require reasonable evidence, such as a certificate from an AHPRA-registered GP.