Guide
Do You Need a Medical Certificate for One Day Off Work?
15 Oct 2026
WORKCOVER
WorkCover Certificate ACT: Certificate of Capacity for Work
Working in Canberra and injured on the job? Find out which scheme covers you, then book a GP assessment for your WorkCover Certificate ACT form.
- Real-time consult with an AHPRA-registered GP
- ACT private, ACT Public Service and Comcare schemes explained
- Approved ACT form completed if clinically appropriate
- Modified duties recorded for your workplace
- Same-day issuance if approved
From $13.99 · Transparent pricing · Australia-wide service
From $13.99
- 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
For ACT and Comcare claims
ACT workers compensation
Why Canberra Workers Sit Under Different Schemes
Start with your legal employer
Canberra workers do not all use the same workers compensation system. Before choosing a form, confirm which scheme covers your employment. This page focuses on the ACT version of the WorkCover certificate of capacity.
Cross-border workers
Where you live does not necessarily decide the scheme. WorkSafe ACT starts with where you usually work, and temporary arrangements of six months or less may not change that position.
Three common arrangements
Private sector employer
ACT private sector workers compensation scheme.
Managed by an approved insurer
ACT Public Service
Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988 (Cth).
ACT Government self-insurer
Australian Government agency
Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988 (Cth).
Managed under Comcare
WorkSafe ACT administers the private sector scheme but does not itself insure employers or decide individual claims. Approved insurers handle those decisions.
Private sector certificate
The Approved ACT Form and Your Nominated Treating Doctor
Certificate of capacity for work
Private sector ACT claims use the approved Certificate of capacity for work under the Workers Compensation Act 1951. The certificate records the injury, current capacity and any restrictions.
You complete
The worker claim form and your own claim details.
The doctor completes
The clinical certificate sections, where the assessment supports completion.
Set your location to the ACT and upload the approved form as a PDF. OMC Health does not maintain a library of state workers compensation forms.
Your nominated treating doctor stays involved
The nominated treating doctor manages medical certification and helps coordinate the injury-management process. WorkSafe ACT describes that involvement as continuing from the injury until suitable work is achieved or the claim ends.
3 business days
After receiving the claim, the insurer must make contact with relevant parties within the required timeframe.
28 days
The private-sector insurer generally accepts or rejects liability within this claim-decision period.
Phone or video?
The GP, not the patient, decides whether the consult happens by phone or video. Phone is generally the OMC Health default. Workers under 18 require video with a parent or guardian present.
Canberra Walk-in Centres
Treatment there does not replace the WorkCover doctor
Canberra Health Services says Walk-in Centres do not provide workers compensation claim services and have no doctors. If you have already been treated there, you still need a doctor to complete the form. Bring relevant discharge or treatment notes to the consultation.
Check Walk-in Centre exclusions →How to Get Started
We operate as a platform that connects you with trusted Australian medical practices in three simple steps:
1
Book Your Certificate
Select the WorkCover capacity certificate on the OMC Health booking page and tell us a bit about your situation.
2
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 phone or video consultation.
3
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?
Book a real-time consultation with an AHPRA-registered GP. From $13.99.
Capacity and suitable work
Modified Duties and Your Canberra Workplace
Capacity does not have to mean all or nothing
A Certificate of Capacity can record that you are able to work with restrictions rather than being completely unfit. You might be able to perform desk work but not lifting, or work shorter shifts while recovering.
Task restrictions
Limits on lifting, repetitive movement, driving or safety-sensitive duties.
Hours
Shorter shifts or a graduated increase in working time may be recorded.
Workplace planning
The GP records these limits so the employer can offer suitable duties.
If the work offered falls outside the medical restrictions, raise it with the employer, nominated treating doctor and insurer rather than working beyond the documented capacity.
Both sides have return-to-work responsibilities
Employer
Appropriate employers and self-insurers may need a return-to-work coordinator to help identify suitable employment and coordinate the injury plan.
Worker
An injured worker must make reasonable efforts to participate in rehabilitation and return to work as soon as practicable.
Income support
The ACT scheme uses different payment rules for total and partial incapacity, including a change in the calculation after the first 26 weeks.
Commonwealth scheme workers
Federal Agencies and ACT Public Service Claims Use a Different Path
Same injury, different paperwork
The employer decides which scheme applies
Picture a worker at a federal department who hurts a wrist at a keyboard. Because the employer is an Australian Government agency, the claim follows the Commonwealth scheme rather than the ACT private sector form.
Federal agency worker
Usually starts through the agency's HR or claims process under Comcare arrangements.
Private Canberra worker
A similar wrist injury at a private employer follows the ACT private-sector insurer and approved certificate pathway.
ACT Public Service and Comcare evidence requirements
ACT Public Service staff are covered by the Commonwealth legislation with the ACT Government operating as a self-insurer. The ACT Government says EML manages workers compensation cases and new claims for ACTPS employees.
ACTPS certificate detail
The preferred medical certificate should give useful clinical detail such as diagnosis, injury cause, relevant dates, pre-existing factors and recommended treatment.
Comcare medical evidence
Medical evidence usually comes from a legally qualified medical practitioner and should describe diagnosis, symptoms, treatment, capacity, restrictions and review timing.
Comcare claim decision timeframes
For claims received from 1 April 2024, Comcare guidance sets statutory decision periods of 20 calendar days for injury claims and 60 calendar days for disease claims, subject to permitted pauses while information is obtained.
PRICING
Simple, transparent pricing
One-off payment. No hidden fees. If the GP declines, you get a full refund.
FROM$13.99
View full pricing details- Reviewed by an AHPRA-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
Before you book
Three Questions to Settle Before You Choose a Certificate
1
Who legally employs you?
Private business, ACT Public Service and Commonwealth agencies can sit under different schemes.
2
Who handles the claim?
Confirm whether it is an approved insurer, ACT Government claims administrator or Comcare pathway.
3
Which form do they need?
Ask for the certificate by name and obtain the correct PDF before booking where practitioner completion is required.
Getting the scheme and form right first avoids asking a doctor to complete a certificate that does not belong to your workers compensation arrangement.
Private-sector disputes
Conciliation comes before arbitration
For disputed ACT private-sector claims, WorkSafe ACT explains that conciliation is the first formal dispute-resolution step. Each party provides written details of the dispute before the meeting.
If conciliation does not resolve it
Either party may move to arbitration. WorkSafe ACT warns that the cost position differs from conciliation, so formal arbitration can carry financial risk.
Call 000 in an emergency. OMC Health does not provide emergency care.
General information only, not a substitute for personalised advice; speak with a qualified practitioner.
Frequently asked questions
View all FAQsIt can depend on your insurer and the type of injury. Confirm with your employer or insurer before booking that a remote assessment suits your claim. Even then, the GP judges whether phone or video gives them enough information. You may be asked to see a doctor in person for an examination.
Under the ACT private sector scheme, WorkSafe ACT says your employer must notify their insurer within 48 hours of you reporting the injury. Once you give them a completed claim form, they must send it to the insurer within 7 days of receiving it. Report the injury to your employer as soon as possible, and note the date.
This step applies to private sector workers who can't work for 7 days or more. WorkSafe ACT says the claim form and certificate must then reach the employer or insurer within 7 days. If they don't, the employer will stop paying your wages. The page doesn't state when those 7 days start, so confirm your date with your employer or insurer.
Yes. The certificate describes your capacity at one point in time. When you can manage more or less, book a review with your nominated treating doctor. Your employer and insurer then plan duties based on the latest version. Submit it promptly, and keep a copy for your records.
Know which scheme covers you, when you were hurt and what you were doing at the time. Have your claim number if the insurer has given you one. Make a short list of tasks you've stopped doing since the injury, and any you can still manage. This helps the GP set realistic workplace restrictions.
In the ACT, private sector workers use a certificate of capacity for work under the territory scheme. Your nominated treating doctor completes it. ACT Government and Commonwealth employees sit under a different scheme. Check which one covers you before you book a consult.