Sick Leave Application (Pakistan)

A Sick Leave Application in Pakistan supplies the facts and figures the authority requires so the matter can be processed, assessed or verified.

The Factories Act 1934 — one of the oldest and most widely applied labour statutes in Pakistan — governs the conditions of employment of workers in factories. Section 49-B of the Factories Act 1934 (as amended) prescribes that every worker employed in a factory is entitled to sick leave with full pay of not less than eight days per calendar year. The Factories Act 1934 applies to any premises where ten or more workers are employed in a manufacturing process, covering a wide range of industrial establishments in Punjab, Sindh, KPK, and Balochistan.

The West Pakistan Shops and Establishments Ordinance 1969 governs employees in commercial establishments — shops, offices, hotels, restaurants, and service sector businesses. Section 22 of the West Pakistan Shops and Establishments Ordinance 1969 entitles every employee who has completed a year of service to sick leave with full pay of six days per year, in addition to casual leave and annual earned leave entitlements. The Ordinance applies across Punjab, Sindh, KPK, and Balochistan for non-factory commercial establishments.

The Mines Act 1923 provides separate sick leave entitlements for workers employed in mines — minimum fourteen days sick leave with full pay per year — reflecting the hazardous nature of mining work in Pakistan's coal and mineral extraction industries in KPK and Balochistan. The Dock Labourers Act 1934 provides sick leave protections for port workers at Karachi Port Trust and Port Qasim.

For government servants and federal public sector employees, the Fundamental Rules and Supplementary Rules (FR&SR) framed under the Civil Servants Act 1973 govern sick leave entitlements. Federal civil servants are entitled to sick leave on full pay for a period not exceeding four months in any one period of three years, and sick leave on half pay for a further period not exceeding four months, under Fundamental Rule 81. The Provincial Civil Servants Acts in Punjab, Sindh, KPK, and Balochistan contain similar provisions for provincial government servants.

Many private sector employers in Pakistan — particularly multinational companies, SECP-registered private limited companies, and large conglomerates — provide sick leave entitlements exceeding the statutory minimums as part of their employment contracts or HR policies. A Sick Leave Application for these employers is typically processed through the company's Human Resources Management System (HRMS) or through a standard paper form prescribed by the HR department. The application must comply with the company's leave policy — including advance notice requirements (where illness allows), maximum duration of self-certification without a medical certificate, and the procedure for notifying the employer when the employee becomes ill.

The Employee Social Security Institutions established under the West Pakistan Employees Social Security Ordinance 1965 — operating as provincial Social Security Institutions in Punjab (PSSI), Sindh (SESSI), KPK (KPKESSI), and Balochistan — provide sickness benefit to registered insured workers who are absent from work due to illness and who have paid contributions for the required period. The Social Security sickness benefit supplements the employer's sick leave pay and covers workers in factories, shops, and commercial establishments registered with the respective Social Security Institution.

A Sick Leave Application in Pakistan is needed whenever an employee is unable to attend work due to illness, injury, or medical treatment and requires authorised paid absence under the applicable labour statute or employment contract.

A Sick Leave Application is required when a factory worker employed under the Factories Act 1934 falls ill and needs to apply for the statutory sick leave entitlement of not less than eight days per calendar year. The application should be submitted to the factory's welfare officer or HR department as soon as reasonably practicable after the commencement of illness, along with a medical certificate from a registered medical practitioner (MBBS or above, registered with the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC)) if the illness extends beyond two days.

A Sick Leave Application is needed when a commercial establishment employee covered by the West Pakistan Shops and Establishments Ordinance 1969 is absent due to illness and wishes to confirm the absence is recorded as authorised sick leave rather than unauthorised absence. Unauthorised absence can attract disciplinary action under the Standing Orders Ordinance 1968 and may affect the employee's entitlement to service benefits including gratuity under the EOBI Employees Old Age Benefits Act 1976.

A Sick Leave Application is required when an employee's illness extends beyond the period coverable by self-certification (typically two to three days under most company HR policies) and a formal medical certificate from a registered medical practitioner must be submitted to justify the extended absence. The medical certificate should state the diagnosis (or the nature of illness without disclosing confidential medical information if the employer so permits), the period of incapacity, and the doctor's name, PMDC registration number, and clinic address.

A Sick Leave Application is needed when an employee wishes to apply for Social Security sickness benefit from the provincial Social Security Institution (PSSI, SESSI, KPKESSI) — the leave application to the employer, accompanied by the medical certificate, forms part of the documentation required by the Social Security Institution to process the sickness benefit claim.

A Sick Leave Application is required when a government servant or public sector employee falls ill and needs to apply for sick leave under the Fundamental Rules (FR 81) made under the Civil Servants Act 1973 or the applicable provincial civil service rules. Medical leave for government servants must be supported by a certificate from a Medical Board or Authorised Medical Attendant designated by the relevant government department.

A complete and valid Sick Leave Application in Pakistan under the Factories Act 1934, the West Pakistan Shops and Establishments Ordinance 1969, or the applicable employment contract must contain the following essential elements to be accepted by the HR department and recorded as authorised paid leave.

Employee Identification: Full name of the employee, employee ID or payroll number, designation, department, and date of joining. These details enable the HR department to verify the employee's leave balance, service record, and whether the statutory or contractual sick leave entitlement has been exhausted for the current leave year.

Addressing Authority: The application must be addressed to the correct authority — immediate supervisor, HR Manager, or the leave sanctioning officer designated by the employer's HR policy. For government servants, the application is addressed to the Head of Department or the leave sanctioning authority prescribed by the Fundamental Rules.

Dates of Absence: The specific date(s) on which the employee is absent or anticipates being absent due to illness — the start date and expected end date of sick leave. Where the employee does not know the duration of illness at the time of writing (e.g., acute onset of illness), the application can state the commencement date and undertake to submit a further application if the illness extends beyond the initial period.

Nature of Illness: A brief description of the nature of the medical condition justifying the sick leave — expressed in general terms where the employee does not wish to disclose specific medical details. For privacy reasons, Pakistani HR practitioners generally accept descriptions such as "fever and body aches", "acute gastroenteritis", or "respiratory infection" without requiring disclosure of a formal diagnosis in the leave application itself. The medical certificate from the registered practitioner provides the clinical confirmation separately.

Medical Certificate: For sick leave exceeding two to three days (or as specified by the employer's leave policy or the Standing Orders), a medical certificate issued by a registered medical practitioner (MBBS minimum, PMDC-registered) must be attached. The certificate should state: the doctor's name, qualifications, PMDC registration number, clinic name and address; the patient's name; the date of examination; the period for which the patient is certified unfit for work; and the doctor's signature and stamp. Social Security Institutions require PMDC-registered doctors' certificates for sickness benefit claims.

Leave Balance Acknowledgment: A statement by the employee of their current sick leave balance for the leave year — available from the HR system or leave records. This demonstrates awareness of entitlement and supports quick processing by the HR department. Under the Factories Act 1934, the employer must maintain a leave register for each worker showing leave entitlement, leave taken, and leave balance.

Contact Information During Leave: The employee's contact phone number and address during the period of sick leave — enabling the employer to reach the employee if operationally necessary and enabling the HR department to coordinate any required documentation without delay.

Undertaking to Submit Certificate: Where the application is submitted at the onset of illness before a medical examination has taken place, the employee should undertake to submit the medical certificate from the PMDC-registered doctor within a specified period (typically two to three days) after the doctor's consultation.

Forms-legal.com provides this Sick Leave Application (Pakistan) template for employees across all sectors. Employees whose sick leave entitlement has been denied by their employer contrary to the Factories Act 1934 or the West Pakistan Shops and Establishments Ordinance 1969 may file a complaint with the provincial Labour Inspector or before the Labour Court established under the applicable provincial industrial relations act.

Under the Industrial and Commercial Employment (Standing Orders) Ordinance 1968, employers in Pakistan must issue appointment letters with terms of service. The Industrial Relations Act 2012 governs collective bargaining and the National Industrial Relations Commission (NIRC). The Employees Old-Age Benefits Institution (EOBI) administers pensions under the EOBI Act 1976. The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) administers PAYE under the Income Tax Ordinance 2001. Labour Courts adjudicate employment disputes.