Sick Leave Certificate Online
Need time off work due to illness? Request a sick certificate online and consult with an AHPRA-registered Australian GP in real time. If clinically appropriate, your certificate may be issued and emailed the same day.
- Real-time phone consult
- AHPRA-registered Australian GPs
- Secure and confidential process
- Same-day issuance if approved
- One-off payment
- Full refund if declined
- Certificate emailed as PDF
Sick Leave Certificate Online, Checked by a GP
OMC Health focuses exclusively on medical certifications. A sick leave certificate is issued by an AHPRA-registered Australian GP after a real-time phone consultation. If clinically appropriate, your certificate is digitally signed and emailed the same day. Consultations are available 7 days. Need it today? Same day medical certificates follow the same consult, with the PDF emailed soon after if approved.
AHPRA-registered doctors
Secure patient information
Fair Work aligned documentation
Digital verification support
What Is a Sick Leave Certificate?
A sick leave certificate is medical evidence from a registered health practitioner confirming that, following an assessment, you were considered unfit for work because of illness or injury for a specified period. Many people simply call it a sick certificate, a sick cert, a doctor's certificate for work or an absence from work certificate.
Under the Fair Work Act 2009, an employer may ask for evidence that would satisfy a reasonable person that the employee was entitled to personal leave. A medical certificate is one commonly used form of evidence. An award, registered agreement or workplace policy may also set evidence requirements.
OMC Health connects patients with partner GPs who assess each online medical certificate request individually through a real-time consultation. The certificate is the outcome of that clinical assessment when the GP considers certification appropriate; it is not automatically generated from a questionnaire or booking request. You can find out more about OMC Health and the partner practices behind the service.
What the certificate actually confirms
It records the GP's clinical view about your capacity for work for the certified period. It does not automatically establish a diagnosis, predict recovery or determine how your employer will administer the leave.
A Certificate Is the Outcome of a GP Assessment
You explain what is happening
The consultation covers your current symptoms, when they began, relevant history and the dates for which work capacity is being assessed.
The GP assesses your actual work capacity
The key question is not simply whether you feel unwell, but whether the illness or injury makes you medically unfit to perform your work for the period being considered.
The GP makes the certification decision
If the assessment supports time away from work, the GP can issue the appropriate certificate for the clinically supported period. If it does not, certification may be declined.
No questionnaire-only approval
Every request is assessed in real time by the GP, by phone or video, depending on the clinical assessment and consultation method arranged. Consults run 7 days a week, so you can request a medical certificate on the weekend without waiting until Monday.
Who Needs a Medical Certificate for Sick Leave?
Sick leave certificates may be requested by employers for any period of personal leave when the request is reasonable, in line with Fair Work Ombudsman guidance on paid sick and carer's leave. They are needed by employees, casual workers, shift workers and anyone whose workplace requires evidence of a health-related absence.
Requirements vary by workplace, award and enterprise agreement. The Fair Work Act does not set a minimum number of sick days before a certificate can be requested. Before you send anything, the medical certificate rules in Australia cover when to notify your employer and what evidence they can ask for.
Employees
Absence situation: Work absences due to illness or injury.
When evidence may be needed: Employer requests a medical certificate.
Casual Workers
Absence situation: Workplaces requesting evidence of absence.
When evidence may be needed: Proof may be needed for missed shifts.
Shift Workers
Absence situation: Rostered work absences.
When evidence may be needed: Missed scheduled shifts.
Mental Health
Absence situation: Periods of genuine unfitness for work.
When evidence may be needed: Work, study or attendance requirements.
Multi-day Absence
Absence situation: Extended illness requiring recovery time.
When evidence may be needed: Longer absence period requiring medical evidence.
Need medical evidence for study, exams or special consideration? See our Student Medical Certificate service.
How to get a Sick Leave Certificate Online
Getting a sick leave certificate online through OMC Health takes three steps:
Book Your Certificate
Consult with an AHPRA-Registered GP
Receive Your Certificate If Approved
Get your Sick Leave Certificate today
Speak with an AHPRA-registered Australian GP online.
What the GP Assesses During the Consult
During your consultation, the GP assesses your symptoms, how they affect your work capacity, and whether a certificate is clinically warranted. The GP exercises full clinical discretion, certificates are never issued automatically.
- ✓Your symptoms and medical history
- ✓How your condition impacts work capacity
- ✓Recovery needs and recommended rest
- ✓Appropriate certificate duration
- ✓Mental health and wellbeing considerations
These template cards utilize sample data exclusively and should never be populated with actual patient assessments.
Illustrative Example Cards
This dataset contains sample data and does not represent real patients.
Dummy data only
Sample placeholder only.
Dummy data only
- Symptoms reviewed✓
- Medical history reviewed✓
- Work capacity assessed✓
- Duration recommended✓
- Certificate appropriate✓
Outcomes are subject to the results of the consultation.
How the GP Decides the Certified Period
A one-day and a multi-day sick leave certificate should not be presented as different levels of medical assessment. In both cases, the GP reviews the current illness or injury, how it affects the person's ability to work, the expected recovery pattern and any safety concerns.
The difference is the period the GP can reasonably support after assessment. A short, self-limiting illness may justify a single day. Symptoms that still affect work capacity, or a recovery period clinically expected to last longer, may support more than one day. The patient does not select the certified duration.
Certificate duration is based on the GP's assessment of work capacity and the clinically supported recovery period.
How single-day and multi-day periods differ
The assessment standard does not change according to the number of days. The GP determines how long the available clinical information reasonably supports time away from work.
Single-day certificate
May be appropriate where the illness or injury affects work capacity for one day.
Can suit a short, self-limiting illness when a longer absence is not clinically supported.
The GP still considers symptoms, work duties, recovery expectations and relevant safety concerns.
A one-day period does not mean the consultation involves a lower level of assessment.
Multi-day certificate
May be appropriate where symptoms are expected to continue affecting work capacity beyond one day.
The supported period reflects the GP's assessment of the likely recovery pattern and ability to perform work safely.
The patient does not choose the number of certified days.
More days do not mean a different assessment standard. The difference is the period the GP can clinically support.
What Your OMC Health Sick Leave Certificate Includes
An OMC Health sick leave certificate records the consultation and issue details, the certified period and the issuing practitioner's details. The exact evidence an employer requires can depend on the workplace and the circumstances.
These details help identify when the assessment occurred, the period covered and the practitioner responsible for issuing the certificate. The exact evidence required may also depend on the workplace and document purpose.
Focused on the Evidence Needed
The certificate's purpose is to document the GP's assessment and the relevant period or work capacity. Clinical details are included only where appropriate to the consultation and document purpose.
Certificate requirements
Six core details identify the consultation, issuing practitioner and certificate.
Assessment date
Date of the GP consultation.
Certified period
Dates covered by the certificate.
Practitioner details
Issuing GP's name and AHPRA registration details.
Practice details
Details of the issuing partner practice.
Signature
Digital or written practitioner signature.
Verification
QR code or unique verification details.
Verification details help support authenticity checks for the issued certificate.
Common Sick Leave Certificate Situations
Different work and health situations can raise different questions about sick leave evidence. Explore guidance on multi-day leave, backdated certificates, casual employment, employer evidence requirements, mental health-related absences and certificates for specific conditions.
How Long Can a Sick Leave Certificate Cover?
The GP determines the appropriate certificate duration based on your clinical assessment. A certificate may cover a single day, multiple days or another clinically supported short-term period, depending on your circumstances. For a single missed shift, you can book one day medical certificate for work or school
Multi-day sick leave certificate→Can You Get a Sick Leave Certificate for Yesterday?
A GP may certify a prior period where the clinical assessment and available information support that you were unfit for work during those dates.
Retrospective coverage is not automatic. The GP decides what period can reasonably be supported.
Backdated sick leave certificate→Do Casual Employees Need a Sick Leave Certificate?
Casual employees do not accrue paid personal leave under the National Employment Standards, but medical evidence may still be relevant depending on workplace requirements or the reason documentation is needed.
Check the applicable workplace policy, award, agreement or other requirement rather than assuming the same rule applies in every casual role.
Sick leave certificate for casual employees→What If an Employer Questions an Online Sick Leave Certificate?
An online sick certificate can provide workplace evidence when it is genuinely issued after an appropriate clinical assessment. Workplace policies, awards or registered agreements may affect what evidence is requested. If an employer questions an OMC Health certificate, use its verification details rather than assuming every document must be accepted automatically. If your manager calls it a doctor's note, see the doctor's note for work page, which explains what it shows.
Do Online Doctors Call Your Boss?→Sick Leave Certificates for Mental Health
Mental health symptoms can affect concentration, judgement, emotional regulation and a person's ability to work safely or effectively. Mental health consults start by phone. The GP may switch to video to better consider current symptoms, functional impact and safety before deciding whether certification is appropriate.
Related guidance covers ADHD burnout and sick leave and whether a single panic attack may justify a day off work.
If you are in crisis, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636 rather than booking a certificate consultation.
Sick Leave Certificates for Common Health Conditions
Different conditions can affect work capacity in different ways. The important question is not simply the diagnosis, but how current symptoms affect your ability to perform your actual duties safely and effectively.
Browse the condition hub for guidance on common presentations, telehealth suitability, functional impact and situations where urgent or in-person medical care may be more appropriate than a certificate consultation. Toothache is one example where a dentist treats the cause and a GP assesses work. Read about the sick leave certificate for dental pain. Fibromyalgia is another, where each flare is assessed on its own, as the medical certificate for fibromyalgia page explains.
Browse common sick leave conditions→Simple, transparent pricing
- Real-time GP consultation
- Certificate assessment
- Digital certificate delivery if approved
- Full refund if GP declines
Issued through our partner practice network
Your consultation is conducted by an AHPRA-registered GP from one of 20+ partner practices across Australia. The certificate is issued under that GP's own registration.
Certificate Verification
Each sick leave certificate includes verification details so employers and approved parties can confirm whether the certificate is genuine.
Unique certificate ID
A unique ID helps match the certificate to the original GP-issued record.
QR verification code
The QR code links to the certificate verification page.
Issuing GP details
Includes the issuing GP name and AHPRA registration number.
Partner practice details
Shows the partner practice name and issuing practice details.
Start your sick leave certificate consultation
Real-time consultations with AHPRA-registered Australian GPs from our partner practices. Certificates issued online if clinically appropriate.
- Real-time GP
- Secure & Private
- Australia-wide
Frequently asked questions
View all FAQsYes. A sick leave certificate issued by a registered GP after a real-time consultation is a legally valid medical document in Australia. Acceptance depends on your employer's leave policies.
Not without legitimate grounds. Under the Fair Work Act 2009, a valid certificate from a registered GP is reasonable evidence. The Act does not distinguish between in-person and telehealth consultations. If your valid certificate is refused, contact the Fair Work Ombudsman on 13 13 94.
Not all casual employees accrue paid personal leave. However, your employment contract, Centrelink requirements or other circumstances may create a need. Check your specific workplace requirements.
OMC Health sick leave certificates start from $9.99. Pricing is transparent with no hidden fees. A full automatic refund is issued if the GP determines a certificate is not clinically appropriate.
Yes, if a GP is available and finds it clinically appropriate. You book, a GP calls you for a real-time consult, and the certificate is emailed the same day if approved.
Your employer can ask for evidence even for one day, if the request is reasonable. Your award or workplace policy may say when a certificate is needed.
An online sick leave certificate can provide evidence for time away from work when illness or injury affects your capacity to perform your duties. You still need a clinical assessment with a doctor. If the doctor considers certification appropriate, the certificate can cover the assessed period without necessarily disclosing your diagnosis to your employer.