Guide
Is a Medical Certificate Required for One-Day Sick Leave?
9 Oct 2026
WORKCOVER
Work Capacity Certificate SA: The ReturnToWorkSA Form for Work Injuries
Need a work capacity certificate SA for an injury? Speak with a registered GP by phone or video to complete the ReturnToWorkSA form, where appropriate.
- Real-time consult with an AHPRA-registered GP
- ReturnToWorkSA Work Capacity Certificate
- Records functional ability, not available duties
- Your SA form completed if clinically appropriate
- Same-day issuance if approved
Certificate describes functional capacity in specific detail from $13.99.
From $13.99
- One-off payment
- Full refund if declined
- Same-day delivery if approved
AHPRA-registered GPs
Same-day delivery if approved
Secure and confidential
Full refund if declined
For ReturnToWorkSA claims
SA work injury evidence
The South Australian Work Capacity Certificate Explained
South Australia uses a Work Capacity Certificate
South Australia calls its work injury medical document a Work Capacity Certificate. ReturnToWorkSA uses it to record the injury, functional ability, work capacity, treatment planning and review information. It is the South Australian form of the broader WorkCover certificate of capacity.
Who completes it?
The standard Work Capacity Certificate must be completed by a medical practitioner.
When is it used?
It can be used from the first consultation and updated as recovery and functional capacity change.
ReturnToWorkSA's focus is what the worker can safely do from a medical perspective, so the certificate supports recovery and suitable work planning rather than simply labelling someone as fit or unfit.
A certificate is not a claim
Lodging a Work Capacity Certificate does not start a workers compensation claim on its own. You still need to notify your employer and make the claim through the appropriate claims process.
1
Report the injury
Tell your employer as soon as practicable, within 24 hours if possible.
2
Get assessed
A doctor assesses the injury, functional limitations and treatment needs.
3
Lodge the claim
Your employer can usually lodge it with the claims agent, or you can contact the agent directly.
10 business days
The compensating authority generally has 10 business days to decide whether to accept or reject the claim.
6-month claim period
A compensation claim should generally be made within six months of the entitlement arising, subject to statutory exceptions.
Who receives the certificate
Claims Agents, Self-Insured Employers and the Electronic Certificate
Who manages your claim?
For registered employers, work injury claims are generally managed through one of ReturnToWorkSA's claims agents. Some larger employers are self-insured and manage claims themselves.
Employers Mutual
One of the two main claims agents used for ReturnToWorkSA scheme claims.
Gallagher Bassett
The other main claims agent managing registered-employer claims.
Self-insured employer
If your employer is self-insured, contact the employer directly about reporting and managing the claim.
If you're unsure which claims agent applies, ReturnToWorkSA can help on 13 18 55.
Preferred certificate pathway
ReturnToWorkSA prefers the eWCC
The electronic Work Capacity Certificate is integrated into supported practice software through the HealthLink Forms Library. Once submitted, it can appear on the worker's claim file within minutes for the claims manager to review.
Electronic
The preferred ReturnToWorkSA method where the practice software supports HealthLink Forms Library.
Editable PDF
An alternative when the practice does not use compatible eWCC software.
Hard copy
A paper option remains available where electronic submission is not suitable.
Pick South Australia at booking and upload the Work Capacity Certificate PDF where a form needs practitioner completion. The GP completes relevant practitioner sections only where the assessment supports them.
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
Commonly, video, given the functional capacity assessment involved, the GP may proceed by phone for straightforward reviews.
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.
Inside the SA form
What the Work Capacity Certificate Records
The form moves from injury details to capacity
A - Patient and employer
Name, date of birth, employer and claim number if known.
B - Injury assessment
Examination date, injury date, stated cause, clinical diagnosis and findings.
C - Certification
Normal duties, fit for suitable duties, or medically unfit for suitable duties, with relevant dates.
D to G
Treatment planning, functional ability, contact preferences and practitioner details, signature and date.
Functional ability, not available duties
The doctor certifies what you can safely do medically. Whether your employer actually has work available that matches those restrictions is a separate workplace question.
Functional limits should be practical
ReturnToWorkSA guidance encourages doctors to describe capacity in a way that helps the employer and claims manager identify safe work. This can include physical and mental functional ability, hours and specific restrictions.
Physical capacity
Sitting, standing, lifting, gripping, driving, repetitive movements and other task-related limits.
Mental capacity
Functional effects such as concentration, tolerance and other relevant cognitive or psychological limitations.
Say a worker has a sore wrist after a long shift. The certificate might record reduced gripping or repetitive wrist movement. The employer then decides which available tasks fit those limits.
Narrow exception
When a nurse practitioner certificate applies
A nurse practitioner can issue the separate Nurse Practitioner Work Capacity Certificate only for a new work injury presented at a hospital emergency department. It can cover no more than seven calendar days, only one can be issued for that injury event, and a medical practitioner must handle further certification.
Before the consultation
Preparing for Your SA Work Capacity Assessment
Bring the details the form actually needs
Injury details
Know when and how the injury happened and what symptoms or limitations followed.
Your normal duties
Explain the physical, cognitive and safety demands of your usual work.
Claim number
Have it available if one has already been issued. The form allows it to be recorded in section A.
Functional limits
Think about sitting, standing, driving, concentration, lifting and tasks that now cause difficulty.
ReturnToWorkSA lists the Interpreting and Translating Centre on 1800 280 203 for people who need language assistance.
Consult mode depends on what can be assessed safely
Phone is the default consult mode for OMC Health, and the GP decides whether the injury needs video or another type of assessment. If the patient is under 18, the OMC Health under-18 video and parent or guardian requirements apply.
Phone may be enough
Where the GP can adequately assess the history, functional impact and available clinical information remotely.
Another assessment may be needed
An injury needing hands-on examination, testing or imaging may not be suitable for completion through telehealth alone.
Continuity can help on a longer claim
Where recovery runs over multiple reviews, seeing a practitioner who can follow the earlier certificates, treatment plan and changes in capacity may make ongoing certification easier to interpret.
The aim is not to reproduce what an employer wants written. The GP records the clinical picture and functional capacity supported by the assessment.
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
Decisions and disputes
If You Disagree With a Claim Decision
SAET reviews disputed decisions
If you believe the wrong decision has been made about your workers compensation claim or return-to-work rights, you can apply to the South Australian Employment Tribunal for review.
One-month window
The review application generally needs to be lodged within one month after receiving notice of the decision.
No filing fee
SAET says there is no cost to lodge the review application, although representation can involve costs.
SAET's application page explains the current online review process. Registry staff can help with the form but cannot give legal advice or predict the outcome.
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.
What the certificate can and cannot do
It can record capacity
The certificate records medically supported functional ability, restrictions, treatment planning and review timing.
It can support suitable work
Employers and claims managers can use the functional information when identifying work that fits the worker's capacity.
It cannot lodge the claim
The claim process remains separate from medical certification.
It cannot decide liability
The compensating authority, not the treating GP, decides whether the workers compensation claim is accepted.
Related guidance
Return to work certificateHow medical restrictions and return-to-work evidence fit together.Online medical certificates in South AustraliaSouth Australian access and consultation information.WorkCover certificate WACompare the WA certificate-of-capacity process.Who can issue a WorkCover certificateSee practitioner rules across Australian workers compensation schemes.
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
View all FAQsCheck with your claims manager or employer before you book, as it depends on your injury and claim. If telehealth suits your situation, your GP decides whether a phone or video consult gives them enough to assess you. They'll tell you if you need a physical examination instead, and point you to where you can get one.
No. ReturnToWorkSA requires a medical practitioner to complete it, not a particular one. A telehealth GP can complete it after assessing you, if clinically appropriate. If you've seen other doctors about the injury, share their certificates and notes. That helps whoever writes the next certificate understand the full history.
Explain that the injury happened at work. ReturnToWorkSA's scheme uses the Work Capacity Certificate, which records your functional capacity and safe duties. An ordinary sick leave certificate doesn't cover those details. If your employer still isn't sure, suggest they contact their claims manager about which document the claim needs.
Yes. Unlike an ordinary sick leave certificate, it records information about the work injury. The claims manager and your employer need that to plan treatment and suitable duties. It also sets out what you can and can't do, and for how long. The GP only records what the assessment supports.
Give the date, time and place of the injury, and a short account of how it happened. Mention any tasks you now can't do. Ask who your claims manager will be, and whether they want the certificate sent electronically. Write down who you told and when, and keep that note with your paperwork.
South Australia records work injury evidence on a Work Capacity Certificate under the ReturnToWorkSA scheme. A medical practitioner completes it. Lodging a certificate doesn't start a claim on its own. You still need to tell your employer about the injury as soon as you can.