How to tell your employer you are sick and get a sick leave certificate
Feeling too unwell to work and unsure how to tell your employer you are sick? This guide covers what to say, how fast to say it and when HR will want a medical certificate.
DrCertificate connects people in 10 South East Asian countries with independent registered doctors, who review each request after a chat consultation and decide whether to issue a certificate.
The short answer on how to tell your employer you are sick
To tell your employer you are sick, message or call your manager before your shift starts, say you are unwell and cannot work, and give an expected return date. If a medical certificate is needed, a DrCertificate doctor reviews your request and decides whether to issue one. Sick leave notes usually cover up to 7 days for generic symptoms.
Before you apply
- Price
- It depends on your country, for example 25 SGD in Singapore, 399 pesos in the Philippines or 30 MYR in Malaysia.
- Time
- About 30 minutes after getting all details.
- Who reviews it
- A certified doctor (MBBS, MD or MS). All doctors on the platform are registered medical council doctors.
- Will it be accepted?
- Please check with the place of submission that online medical notes are accepted before you apply.
- If the doctor declines
- Doctors' approval rate is more than 98% of all requests. Rejection happens usually when details do not match or symptoms are inconsistent.
- How long a note covers
- In most South East Asian countries, sick leave and work from home notes go up to 7 days for generic symptoms, and fitness notes are generally valid for 30 days. The doctor decides.
- Medical reviewer
- Dr Urooj Arshad, M.B.B.S, General Medicine, IMC | GMC 430548
Main points about calling in sick
Tell your employer early
In Singapore, the Employment Act requires an employee who cannot report for work to inform the employer within 48 hours.
Hand in the certificate on return
Singapore's Ministry of Manpower says the medical certificate is submitted when the employee returns to work.
The doctor sets the dates
On DrCertificate, an independent doctor decides whether to issue a sick leave certificate and how many days it covers.
Up to 7 days for generic symptoms
In most South East Asian countries, sick leave notes go up to 7 days for generic symptoms.
Paid leave in the Philippines
Workers with at least 1 year of service get 5 days of paid service incentive leave, usable for sick leave, with listed exceptions.
What is a sick leave certificate?
A sick leave certificate is a note from a doctor stating that you were assessed and found unfit for work or study on set dates. It names you, gives the dates of leave and usually shows the doctor's details.
The certificate is not a prescription or a treatment plan.
On the DrCertificate form, the matching choice is the Sick Leave option for university or work. A general medical certificate also uses that Sick Leave option.
People often mix up sick leave notes with other documents. A work from home certificate says you can work but should do so from home. A medical fitness certificate says you are fit for a job, a course or a sport. An unfit to travel certificate is for airlines, not HR.
Recovery and caretaker certificates cover returning after a long illness or caring for a family member, and DrCertificate does not offer either one.
When do you need a sick leave certificate for work?
You need a sick leave certificate when your employer, university or school asks for proof that illness kept you away. The request usually comes from HR, your line manager or a school office, and the rules sit in your contract, staff handbook or student policy.
Workplaces ask for one most often after consecutive days off, after a sick day next to a weekend or public holiday, or when you claim paid sick leave. Universities ask for one when you miss an exam, a deadline or required attendance.
Why do they want one?
Organisations use the certificate to record that the absence was medical, to process paid leave correctly and to keep attendance fair across the team. In Singapore, the Ministry of Manpower says the medical certificate is submitted when you return to work, so HR teams there expect it as standard paperwork.
Travel is a separate case. If you are too ill to fly, an airline wants an unfit to travel certificate instead of a sick leave note.
Telling your employer you are sick at a glance
The number of days on a sick leave certificate is the doctor's decision, made case by case from what you share.
Anything urgent belongs with an in person doctor.
| Topic | What usually applies | Who decides |
|---|---|---|
| When to tell your employer | As early as possible, before your shift. Singapore law requires notice within 48 hours. | The law and your company policy |
| How to tell them | The channel named in your leave policy, often a call, chat message or HR portal | Your employer |
| When a certificate is needed | Set by your contract, staff handbook or school rules | Your employer or school |
| How many days a note covers | Up to 7 days for generic symptoms in most South East Asian countries, decided case by case | The doctor |
| What the doctor considers | Your symptoms, when they started and whether the details you share are consistent | The doctor |
| When to see a doctor in person | Severe, urgent or worsening symptoms, or a need for tests or treatment | You, with medical advice |
Who issues a sick leave certificate on DrCertificate?
An independent doctor with an MBBS, MD or MS qualification reviews each request and decides whether to issue a sick leave certificate. DrCertificate does not make that decision. DrCertificate is an online platform that connects applicants with these doctors and runs the form, payment and email delivery.
DrCertificate does not diagnose, treat or prescribe.
All doctors on the platform are registered with a medical council. If your HR team has questions about a certificate you received, you can contact care@drcertificate.com.
The platform is run by Health Venture OU, with an office at KMC Armstrong Corporate Center, H.V. Dela Costa, Salcedo Village, Makati City, 1227 Metro Manila, Philippines.
How do you get a sick leave certificate online, step by step?
You get a sick leave certificate online by filling in the DrCertificate form, paying, and answering the doctor in a written chat. There are no video calls and no in person consultations.
The whole request happens in writing.
Step 1: Check your employer's rules
Confirm that your HR team or school accepts online medical notes and ask what details they need on the certificate.
Step 2: Choose the Sick Leave option
On the form, pick the Sick Leave option for university or work. Pick Work From Home or Unfit to Travel only if that is what you were asked for.
Step 3: Fill in the form accurately
Enter your name as shown on your ID, plus your symptoms and when they started. Mismatched names and IDs, or symptoms that do not add up, are the usual reasons doctors decline.
Step 4: Pay through Stripe
Payment is taken through Stripe when you submit the form. Payments are non refundable.
Step 5: Chat with the doctor
The doctor reviews your request in a digital chat, may ask follow-up questions and then decides whether to issue a certificate and for which dates.
Step 6: Receive the PDF by email
If approved, the certificate arrives by email as a PDF. Check every detail before you forward it to HR.
Apply now
You'll continue on the secure DrCertificate application form.
What should a sick leave certificate include?
A sick leave certificate usually shows your full name, the consultation date, the dates you are unfit for work and the doctor's name and qualification. Those details let HR match the note to your absence.
Ask HR or your school office for their format first. They may want extra details like your employee number or a stated reason for leave.
Run through this checklist before you submit.
A DrCertificate certificate cannot be corrected once issued unless the fault is from the medical team. Check your form entries carefully before you pay.
Name matches your ID
The name on the certificate matches the name HR has on file.
Dates match your absence
The leave dates cover the days you were off and match what you told your manager.
Purpose is right
The certificate says sick leave, not work from home or fitness.
Doctor details are present
The doctor's name and qualification appear on the document.
Will your employer or school accept an online sick leave certificate?
Your employer or school decides whether to accept a sick leave certificate, not the doctor and not DrCertificate. Organisations set their own rules on what counts as valid proof, so the same note can be fine at one company and questioned at another.
Check before you apply.
A certificate is questioned most often for plain reasons. The type is wrong, the dates do not match the absence, or the name differs from HR records. Certain companies only accept notes from their own clinic or panel doctor.
If HR questions your certificate, ask them in writing what is missing. Share the doctor's details shown on the document and offer to answer their questions. If they only accept an in person visit or a company clinic, follow that route next time.
For Philippine rules, read the online sick leave certificate page for the Philippines. For Malaysia, see the Malaysia page.
When is an online sick leave certificate not the right choice?
An online sick leave certificate is not the right choice when you need urgent care, tests or treatment. Chest pain, trouble breathing, heavy bleeding or a high fever that will not come down need in person or emergency care straight away. DrCertificate is for suitable non emergency situations only.
The doctor may decline any request.
Certificates from DrCertificate are not for submission in India, not for legal purposes and must not be used for insurance. Applicants must be at least 16 years old.
DrCertificate does not offer recovery certificates or caretaker certificates. If you need leave to look after a sick family member, or a note clearing you to return after a long illness, visit a clinic in person.
Telling your employer you are sick in Singapore, Malaysia and the rest of South East Asia
DrCertificate serves people in 10 South East Asian countries. Sick leave rules differ by country and by employer, so check both before you apply.
The official rules sit with each country's labour ministry, and your contract or staff handbook adds your employer's own terms. Whatever country you are in, confirm with your employer, school or airline that they accept online medical notes before you apply.
| Singapore | The Ministry of Manpower says an employee who cannot report for work must inform the employer within 48 hours and submit the medical certificate on returning to work. |
|---|---|
| Philippines | The Department of Labor and Employment handbook gives 5 days of paid service incentive leave after at least 1 year of service, usable for sick leave, with listed exceptions. This applies in Manila, Cebu, Davao and across the country. |
| Malaysia and Thailand | Read our country guides, then confirm the details with your HR team and your contract. |
| Indonesia and Vietnam | Check your national labour ministry website and your contract, then ask HR whether online notes are accepted. |
| Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Brunei | Check your national labour ministry website and your contract, then ask HR whether online notes are accepted. |
- Online Sick Leave Certificate in Singapore
- Online Sick Leave Certificate in the Philippines
- Medical Certificate Online in Manila
- Medical Certificate Online in Cebu
- Medical Certificate Online in Davao
- Medical certificates online in Malaysia
- Online Sick Leave Certificate in Thailand
- Online Sick Leave Certificate in Indonesia
- Online Sick Leave Certificate in Vietnam
- Online Sick Leave Certificate in Cambodia
- Online Sick Leave Certificate in Laos
- Online Sick Leave Certificate in Myanmar
- Online Sick Leave Certificate in Brunei
What does a sick leave certificate cost and how long does it take?
A sick leave certificate on DrCertificate costs 25 SGD in Singapore, 399 pesos in the Philippines and 30 MYR in Malaysia. Prices in the other served countries depend on the country. The price covers the doctor's review of your request in the chat and, if approved, the certificate sent by email as a PDF.
A decision usually takes about 30 minutes, depending on the doctor's review of your details.
Payments are non refundable, including when the doctor decides not to issue a certificate. The one exception is a verified technical fault reported within 24 hours.
| Country | Price |
|---|---|
| Singapore | 25 SGD |
| Philippines | 399 pesos |
| Malaysia | 30 MYR |
You'll continue on the secure DrCertificate application form.
What should you say when you tell your employer you are sick?
A short, honest message sent before your shift is enough
Tell your employer you are sick with a short, honest message sent before your shift starts. Your manager needs to know three things: that you cannot work today, when you expect to be back, and whether a medical certificate will follow.
You do not have to describe every symptom.
Use the channel your company names in its leave policy, whether that is a call, a chat app or an HR portal. Shift workers are often expected to call the team lead so the roster can be covered. Mention any urgent task a colleague should pick up and say where the files are.
Keep a screenshot of your message, since it shows when you gave notice. That record helps if the timing is ever questioned.
The steps below turn this into a message you can send in under a minute.
Send it before your shift
Tell your manager as early as you can, ideally before your start time, using the channel in your company policy.
Say you are unwell and cannot work
Two short sentences are enough. Share symptoms only if you are comfortable doing so.
Give an expected return date
Say when you hope to be back and that you will update your manager if that changes.
Mention the medical certificate
If your policy asks for one, say you will send a sick leave certificate or bring it when you return.
Sample message
Hi, I woke up with a fever and am not fit to work today. I expect to be back on Thursday and will send my medical certificate. The client report is saved in the shared folder.
Frequently asked questions about telling your employer you are sick
You cannot choose or backdate the dates on a sick leave certificate yourself. The doctor decides which dates the certificate covers, based on your symptoms and when they started. Apply while you are unwell, because a DrCertificate certificate cannot be corrected once issued unless the medical team made the error.
In most South East Asian countries, a sick leave note covers up to 7 days for generic symptoms. The doctor decides the number of days case by case after reviewing your symptoms in the chat. If you need longer leave or your symptoms are serious, see a doctor in person.
Yes, you talk to the doctor through a written digital chat, not by video or in person. The doctor reads your form, may ask follow-up questions and then decides whether to issue a certificate. Reply to those questions promptly so the review is not held up.
If the doctor declines, no certificate is issued and the payment is not refunded. Doctors decline about 2% of requests, when the name and ID do not match or the symptoms and details shared are inconsistent. Check your entries before paying, and visit a clinic if you still need a note.
You usually only need to tell your employer that you are unwell, that you cannot work and when you expect to return. Share symptoms if you are comfortable, and follow any extra rule in your company policy. The certificate is the formal proof your HR team asks for.
In Singapore, the Ministry of Manpower says an employee who cannot report for work must inform the employer within 48 hours. The Employment Act also requires you to submit the medical certificate when you return to work. Your company may ask for earlier notice, so check your contract.
A doctor can issue a sick leave certificate for a single day if your symptoms support it, and the doctor decides the dates. Before you apply, check your company policy, because your employer may not need a medical note for one day off work.
Related guides to telling your employer you are sick
- Online medical certificate or clinic visit: which suits you?
- Sick leave application for school
- Sick leave email to your manager
- Sick leave or fitness certificate: which do you need?
- Get a sick leave certificate from DrCertificate
- How to get a medical certificate online for leave
- Online Sick Leave Certificate in the Philippines
- Online Sick Leave Certificate in Thailand
- Medical certificates online in Malaysia
Ready to request your sick leave certificate?
Choose the Sick Leave option for university or work on the DrCertificate form. An independent doctor reviews your request in a chat and decides whether to issue a certificate. Payment is non refundable, and the service is for non emergency cases in the 10 countries served.
Questions first? care@drcertificate.com