A Self-Certification Sickness Form is a formal document completed by an employee in England and Wales to declare that they were unable to work due to illness for a specified period of up to seven consecutive calendar days, without requiring a medical certificate from a GP or other healthcare professional. It is the UK equivalent of the former SC2 form that HMRC used to provide and is widely used by employers as part of their absence management and payroll processes.

The legal foundation for self-certification is the Social Security (Medical Evidence) Regulations 1976 (SI 1976/615) as amended, which prescribe the circumstances in which medical evidence is required and when an employee's own declaration is sufficient. For absences of seven calendar days or fewer, an employee's personal statement — typically made through a self-certification form — is accepted as adequate evidence of incapacity. A fit note from a registered healthcare professional is only required from the eighth consecutive calendar day of absence.

For Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) purposes, the relevant legislation is the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992 and the SSP (General) Regulations 1982 (SI 1982/894). SSP is payable by the employer from the fourth qualifying day of incapacity — the first three qualifying days (known as waiting days) are not paid unless the employer has a more generous occupational sick pay scheme. Qualifying days are the days on which the employee is contracted to work. The self-certification form creates the contemporaneous record needed to process SSP and any occupational sick pay accurately and in compliance with section 13 of the Employment Rights Act 1996, which restricts unauthorised deductions from wages.

From 1 July 2022, the range of healthcare professionals authorised to issue fit notes was expanded by the Social Security (Medical Evidence) and Statutory Sick Pay (Medical Evidence) (Amendment) Regulations 2022 to include registered nurses, occupational therapists, pharmacists, and physiotherapists. This change means that, for absences requiring a fit note, employees have a wider range of healthcare professionals from whom they can obtain the required documentation, reducing the burden on GP services.

Health information collected on a self-certification form constitutes special category data under Article 9 of the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. Employers must process this data lawfully, with appropriate security measures, and retain it only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected — typically for the duration of employment and for a reasonable period thereafter for legal and statutory purposes.

A Self-Certification Sickness Form should be completed by the employee as soon as they return to work following a period of absence due to illness lasting up to seven consecutive calendar days, or — where the employer's policy requires it — before the employee returns, if the form can be completed remotely. Many employers require the form to be submitted on the first day of return as part of a formal return to work interview process.

The form is needed for every period of self-certified absence, including isolated single-day absences. Whilst one day of absence may seem minor, a consistent record of short-term absences is important for several reasons. First, SSP eligibility may be affected by the pattern of absences — under the SSP (General) Regulations 1982, a Period of Incapacity for Work (PIW) consists of four or more consecutive qualifying days of sickness, and separate periods of sickness that are no more than eight weeks apart may be linked as a single PIW for SSP purposes. Second, repeated short absences may be indicative of an underlying health condition, and maintaining a record allows the employer to identify patterns that warrant a more supportive response — such as an occupational health referral — and to fulfil the employer's duty of care under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.

The form is particularly important where an employee's sickness absence may be connected to a disability within the meaning of the Equality Act 2010. A physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on a person's ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities is a disability for the purposes of the Act. Where an employee's absences are related to a disability, the employer has a duty under sections 20 and 21 of the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments to remove or reduce any disadvantage the employee faces because of the disability. A pattern of self-certification forms citing the same type of condition should prompt the employer to consider whether an occupational health referral is needed.

A self-certification form is also needed for payroll purposes. The employee's declaration of the dates and duration of their absence provides the documentary evidence needed to process SSP or occupational sick pay accurately, in compliance with the employer's obligations under section 13 of the Employment Rights Act 1996. Without a completed form, the employer may face disputes about the level of pay due during the absence and may lack the records needed to respond to any Employment Tribunal claim.

Finally, under the ACAS Code of Practice on Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures, a documented return to work process — which typically includes a return to work interview and completion of a self-certification form — is recommended best practice. If an employer later needs to take formal absence management action, evidence that a consistent and fair process was followed for all employees will be important in defending any potential claim of unfair treatment.

A well-drafted Self-Certification Sickness Form for use in England and Wales should contain all the elements needed to satisfy the employer's legal and administrative obligations whilst respecting the employee's right to privacy and freedom from discrimination.

The employee identification section records the employee's full name, payroll or employee reference number, department, and line manager. The payroll number is particularly important because it links the form to the correct payroll record, ensuring that SSP and occupational sick pay are processed accurately.

The absence period section is the core of the form. It must record the first day of illness, the last day of absence, the date of return to work, and the total number of working days lost. The distinction between calendar days and working days matters: the seven-day self-certification window is measured in consecutive calendar days (including non-working days), while SSP is calculated by reference to qualifying days, which are the contracted working days. Both figures must therefore be recorded accurately.

The reason for absence section provides a structured way for the employee to describe the nature of their illness without requiring a medical diagnosis. A pre-defined list of categories — such as cold or flu, musculoskeletal pain, mental health, stomach illness, or headache and migraine — enables the employer to collect consistent data for absence monitoring purposes whilst minimising the risk that employees feel pressured to disclose more than is necessary. Since health information is special category data under Article 9 of the UK GDPR, the form should include a data protection notice explaining how the information will be used and retained.

The GP or healthcare professional consultation section asks the employee whether they consulted a GP, pharmacist, or other healthcare professional during the absence. This field is optional and is included to assist employers who may need to make reasonable adjustments or refer the employee for occupational health assessment. Where a GP was consulted, recording the GP's name and practice allows the employer to seek further information (with the employee's consent) if a long-term condition is disclosed.

The employee declaration section contains the formal statement by which the employee confirms that the information is accurate and that they were genuinely unable to work due to illness during the period stated. A false declaration made to obtain SSP or occupational sick pay may constitute a criminal offence under the Fraud Act 2006 and a disciplinary offence under the employer's Disciplinary Policy — this should be made clear on the form.

The manager acknowledgment section confirms that the line manager has received and reviewed the form, entered the absence into the attendance management system, and — where appropriate — conducted a return to work interview. Countersignature by the manager provides an additional layer of accountability and ensures that absence is consistently recorded across the organisation.