A plain-English guide to getting a medical certificate in Australia — who can issue one, in person or by telehealth, what it costs, and what your employer can actually ask for under the Fair Work rules.
You can get a medical certificate from any GP — in person or by telehealth. Your employer can ask for proof of sick leave even for a single day, but a medical certificate or a statutory declaration both count. A certificate can only come from a registered practitioner who has actually assessed you.
A medical certificate confirms that a registered health practitioner assessed you and considered you unfit for work, study or other duties on certain dates. Most certificates come from a GP, but specialists and nurse practitioners can issue them too. A valid certificate identifies the practitioner — their name, qualifications, AHPRA registration number and contact details — so the recipient can verify it if needed. Registered pharmacists can also issue a “Certificate for Absence from Work” for short, minor conditions within their scope, although whether your employer accepts one is up to them.
Centrelink has its own forms — the Centrelink Medical Certificate (SU415 / SU683), and a more detailed medical evidence pack for the Disability Support Pension. See Centrelink medical certificates & reports for which one you need and who completes it.
Your employer can ask. Under the Fair Work Act, an employer can request evidence for as little as one day off work — there is no minimum number of days. But the type of evidence is not fixed: the law only requires evidence that would satisfy a reasonable person that you were genuinely entitled to the leave, and the Fair Work Ombudsman lists both a medical certificate and a statutory declaration as acceptable. Your employer also cannot go behind it — the Ombudsman does not consider it reasonable for an employer to attend your appointment, or to contact your doctor for more information.
You can see your regular GP, visit a clinic, or use an online telehealth service. A certificate from an AHPRA-registered practitioner is valid whether the consultation was face-to-face or by telehealth — but a consultation, even a brief one, is always required; a genuine certificate is never issued without an assessment.
On cost: a GP visit may be Medicare-rebated, and some clinics bulk-bill (no out-of-pocket cost) while others charge a gap — ask reception when you book. Dedicated online certificate services usually charge a flat fee.
Current as at June 2026. Information only — not medical or legal advice. For your specific situation, talk to your GP, or the Fair Work Ombudsman (fairwork.gov.au, 13 13 94).
A medical certificate does not need to state your diagnosis. The AMA guidelines are explicit that a general statement such as “a medical condition” is enough, and that the recipient should accept the practitioner’s certification of unfitness without a diagnosis. If a diagnosis is included, it should only be added with your consent.
A certificate must be dated the day it is written and cannot simply be backdated to a date you pick. However, a practitioner can certify that your illness began before the appointment if there is a genuine clinical reason to believe so — for example, if your history and examination are consistent with an illness that started a few days earlier. What they cannot do is certify a period they have no clinical basis for. Asking a doctor to falsely backdate a certificate, or altering one yourself, is dishonest and may be fraud.
A statutory declaration can serve as evidence. It is a written statement that you were unwell (or caring for someone), which you sign in front of an authorised witness. The Fair Work Ombudsman gives the example of an employee who could not get a doctor’s appointment, provided a statutory declaration when she returned to work, and was paid for the day. Acceptance still rests on the reasonable-person test, and some workplaces set their own policy on statutory declarations — it is worth checking yours.
The same evidence rules apply to carer’s leave — leave to care for an ill or injured immediate family or household member. A certificate for carer’s leave generally comes from the treating doctor of the person you are caring for.