Guide
How Employers Verify a Telehealth GP Certificate, AHPRA Check and QR Code Guide
25 Sept 2026
SICK LEAVE
Sick Certificate for Casual Workers
Casual employees aren't entitled to paid sick leave under the National Employment Standards, so the rules around medical certificates work a little differently. An AHPRA-registered GP can still issue a sick leave certificate after a real-time consult, just as for any other patient.
- Real-time phone consultation
- AHPRA-registered Australian GPs
- Works the same for casual, part-time and full-time staff
- No paid personal leave required for casuals to get a certificate
- Accepted by employers Australia-wide
Certificate or statutory declaration, both accepted by most employers
From $9.99
- One-off payment
- Full refund if declined
- Same-day delivery if approved
AHPRA-registered GPs
Same-day delivery if approved
100% secure & private
Full refund if declined
Accepted across Australia
What Casual Employees Should Know
A sick leave certificate request from a casual employee follows the same real-time clinical assessment process as other OMC Health requests. An AHPRA-registered GP assesses the illness or injury, how it affects the person's work capacity and whether certification is clinically appropriate.
Casual employees generally do not accrue paid personal or sick leave under the National Employment Standards, but that does not make medical evidence irrelevant. A workplace may still have reasonable requirements around explaining or documenting a missed rostered shift.
This page explains how casual employment affects leave entitlements, when evidence may be requested, how medical certificates compare with statutory declarations and where a GP certificate may fit into a workplace absence.
For current employment-status information, see the Fair Work Ombudsman's guidance for casual employees.
Key Facts
Paid personal leave
Casual employees generally do not accrue paid personal or sick leave under the National Employment Standards.
Evidence may still matter
A workplace may still ask for reasonable evidence relating to a missed rostered shift.
Clinical assessment
Employment type does not change the standard of the GP's clinical assessment.
Casual worker evidence
Do Casual Employees Need a Medical Certificate?
There is no blanket rule saying every casual employee must provide a medical certificate whenever they miss a shift because of illness or injury.
A workplace may still ask for reasonable evidence explaining why a casual employee could not attend a rostered shift. What is requested can depend on the circumstances, applicable workplace policies and other employment arrangements.
Fair Work lists medical certificates and statutory declarations as examples of evidence that may be acceptable, subject to the circumstances and any reasonable workplace requirements.
Fair Work context
Casual Employee Leave Entitlements
Casual employees generally do not receive paid sick and carer's leave. They can have access to unpaid leave entitlements in circumstances covered by the National Employment Standards, including unpaid carer's leave.
See the Fair Work overview of sick and carer's leave for current entitlement information.
Paid leave entitlement
Why the 10-Day Paid Entitlement Does Not Apply to Casual Employees
Casual employees generally do not accrue paid personal/carer's leave under the National Employment Standards. That does not mean medical evidence is irrelevant.
A medical certificate may still be relevant where a workplace asks for reasonable evidence relating to a missed rostered shift, even though the absence is not being deducted from a casual employee's paid personal-leave balance.
The 10-day paid personal/carer's leave entitlement associated with full-time employment should not be presented as a threshold or smaller leave balance for casual employees.
Employer request
When a Workplace May Ask for Evidence
A workplace may ask for reasonable evidence explaining why a casual employee could not attend a rostered shift. The type of evidence requested can depend on the absence, workplace requirements and other applicable employment arrangements.
Fair Work lists medical certificates and statutory declarations as examples of evidence that may be acceptable, subject to the circumstances and any reasonable workplace requirements.
For a closer comparison of the two evidence types, see medical certificate vs statutory declaration.
How to Get Started
We operate as a platform that connects you with trusted Australian medical practices.
1
Start your booking
Select a sick leave certificate on the OMC Health booking page and tell us a bit about your situation
2
Speak with a GP
Real-time phone consult with an AHPRA-registered Australian GP. The GP may move to video if a visual or clinical assessment is needed.
3
Certificate Issued if Appropriate
If clinically appropriate, your certificate is issued and emailed the same day.
Ready to get started?
Book a real-time consult with an AHPRA-registered GP. From 9.99.
Evidence options
Sick Leave Certificate vs Statutory Declaration for Casuals
Fair Work lists medical certificates and statutory declarations as examples of evidence that may be acceptable, subject to the circumstances and any reasonable workplace requirements.
A workplace may still ask for reasonable evidence explaining why a casual employee could not attend a rostered shift. Fair Work does not say that a medical certificate automatically has greater legal weight than another acceptable form of evidence in every workplace.
A medical certificate records a practitioner's clinical assessment, while a statutory declaration is a formal declaration made by the person providing it. Which form is appropriate depends on why evidence is needed and the requirements that apply in the particular circumstances.
See the Fair Work guidance on notice and medical certificates for the reasonable-evidence framework.
Important distinction
Neither Form Is Automatically Stronger in Every Workplace
The relevant question is whether the evidence is appropriate for the circumstances and satisfies the reasonable requirements that apply to the absence.
Medical certificate
Records a registered practitioner's assessment and certified period.
Statutory declaration
Records a formal declaration made under the applicable statutory-declaration process.
Same clinical standard
How to Get a Certificate as a Casual Worker
A casual employee uses the same OMC Health consultation pathway as another worker. The consultation focuses on the current illness or injury, relevant history, actual job duties and how the condition affects work capacity.
Employment type does not create a different clinical standard. Details about the role or work arrangement may still be relevant where they help the GP understand the demands of the job and the period being assessed.
If certification is clinically appropriate, the GP determines the supported period after assessment.
Evidence options
Self-Declaration vs GP Certificate for Casual Workers
Some workplaces may accept an employee's own explanation for an absence, while others may request another form of reasonable evidence depending on the circumstances and workplace requirements.
A GP certificate provides practitioner-issued medical evidence following a clinical assessment. That does not mean it automatically has greater legal weight than every other acceptable form of evidence in every workplace.
The evidence required should be considered in the context of the specific absence and applicable workplace requirements.
Consult timing
Does the Consultation Take Longer for a Casual Worker?
There is no separate casual-worker consultation standard. The time needed depends on the clinical situation, relevant history and what the GP needs to assess safely rather than on whether the patient is casual, part-time or full-time.
The GP may ask about work duties where they are relevant to deciding whether the illness or injury affects the person's capacity to perform the role.
For general timing information, see how long a telehealth consultation takes.
Workplace disputes
If a Workplace Dispute Follows a Sick Absence
Employment protections depend on the facts and the employment context. A medical certificate documents the clinical assessment and certified period, but it does not determine whether a later employment decision is lawful or unlawful.
If a dispute involves pay, rostering, dismissal or adverse action, check current Fair Work guidance or seek appropriate workplace-relations advice rather than relying on the medical certificate page for a legal outcome.
Medical evidence and employment-law outcomes are separate questions.
PRICING
Simple, transparent pricing
One-off payment. No hidden fees. If the GP declines, you get a full refund.
FROM$9.99
One-off payment. All prices include GST.
View full pricing details- AHPRA reviewed by a registered GP
- Delivered on the same day if approved
- Secure and confidential
- Full refund if GP declines
- No hidden fees
Secure payment
Same-day delivery
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.
Frequently asked questions
Casuals aren't entitled to paid personal leave, so there's no automatic requirement for a certificate to access paid leave. A certificate may still be needed to support an unpaid absence, a rostering issue, or a claim.
It depends on the employer's policy and applicable award. Some workplaces require evidence from the first day of any absence, casual or permanent; others only after a set number of absences.
Yes. A real-time consult with an AHPRA-registered GP can produce a valid certificate for casual workers in the same way it does for permanent staff, if clinically appropriate.
Casuals have unpaid carer's leave entitlements and, after a qualifying period, may be eligible for casual conversion to permanent employment. They do not accrue paid personal/carer's leave.
Casual employees aren't entitled to paid sick leave under the National Employment Standards, so the rules around medical certificates work a little differently. An AHPRA-registered GP can still issue a sick leave certificate after a real-time consult, just as for any other patient.