Time Off Work by Condition: UK Sick Note Rules

The short answer. The rules on time off work are the same for every condition. You can self-certify for the first 7 days, you need a note from a doctor if you are off for longer than that, and statutory sick pay is paid from your first full day off if you qualify. There is no fixed amount of time off for any condition: a doctor assesses how long you need.

Searches for “average time off work” with stress, anxiety, depression, shingles or a broken wrist are common, and so are confident answers with a number of weeks in them. We do not give one, because no NHS or government guidance sets one. Official surveys estimate days lost across the whole workforce, but that describes a population, not what you will need. Two people with the same diagnosis can need very different amounts of time, and the same person can need different amounts at different points in their life. What you can rely on is the framework below, which does not change with the condition.

Condition by condition

Time off work by condition: what every UK employee can rely on
Condition	Can you self-certify?	When you need a note
Stress	Yes, for the first 7 days, like any illness	Off more than 7 days in a row. A doctor decides whether you are fit for work.
Anxiety	Yes, for the first 7 days	Off more than 7 days in a row. If your employer wants evidence sooner, any fee should be covered by them.
Depression	Yes, for the first 7 days	Off more than 7 days in a row. Long absences are usually covered by a run of notes.
Bereavement	Only if grief is affecting your health. Grief on its own is usually handled as compassionate leave.	If grief has made you unwell and you are off more than 7 days in a row
Burnout	Yes, for the first 7 days	Off more than 7 days in a row. The WHO does not class burnout as a medical condition, so a doctor assesses its effect on your health.
Menopause	Yes, for the first 7 days	Off more than 7 days in a row because symptoms stop you working
Broken wrist	Yes, for the first 7 days	Off more than 7 days in a row. Healing time and fitness for your job are separate questions.
Shingles	Yes, for the first 7 days	Off more than 7 days in a row. The NHS says stay off while the rash weeps and cannot be covered.
Perforated eardrum	Yes, for the first 7 days	Off more than 7 days in a row, if symptoms or your job stop you working

What is the same whatever the condition

Self-certifying. For an absence of 7 days or less you do not need evidence from a doctor. The count is in calendar days, so weekends, bank holidays and days you would not normally work are included. When you go back, your employer can ask you to confirm you were off sick, often with a form or an email. The self-certification guide covers form SC2 and what it asks for.

After day 7. If you have been ill for more than 7 days in a row, your employer can ask for a note from a doctor or another healthcare professional. In the first 6 months of a condition, a single NHS fit note can cover up to 3 months, so a longer absence is usually covered by more than one note.

Sick pay. Statutory sick pay is paid by your employer for up to 28 weeks. Your contract may give you more through a company scheme, but never less.

Equal treatment. Acas is clear that mental and physical health problems both count as sickness and must be treated as equally important. A stress or depression absence is a sickness absence like any other.

When a condition counts as a disability

Under the Equality Act 2010 you are disabled if you have a physical or mental impairment with a substantial and long-term adverse effect on your ability to do normal day-to-day activities. Long-term means it has lasted, or is likely to last, at least 12 months. Whether a particular condition meets that definition depends on the facts of your case. If it does, your employer must make reasonable adjustments, which can include a phased return with flexible or part-time hours. The Act does not apply in Northern Ireland.

If you need a note and cannot get to your GP

A private sick note from a GMC-registered UK doctor is another option. It is not an NHS fit note, and your employer decides whether to accept it; government guidance for employers says it can. It cannot be used for Universal Credit or Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), which need an NHS fit note. The doctor may decline if a note is not clinically appropriate. How a private sick note works.

If you are coming back after time off, the phased return to work page explains how a gradual return is agreed.

If you need help now. If you feel you cannot keep yourself safe, or someone’s life is at risk, call 999 or go to A&E now. For urgent mental health help that is not an emergency, use 111 online or call 111 and choose the mental health option. Samaritans answer free on 116 123, day or night.

Common questions

Is there a standard amount of time off for each condition?

No. There is no official table of time off work for any condition. Where the NHS gives a healing time, such as for a broken wrist, that is not the same as time off work. The length depends on the person, and a doctor assesses whether you are fit for work. A single figure quoted for everyone cannot tell you how long you need.

Do I have to tell my employer what is wrong with me?

For the first 7 days you self-certify, which means telling your employer you are not well enough to work. After that a note from a doctor states the reason. On an NHS fit note the law lets the doctor describe the condition less precisely where full detail would harm you or your position at work.

Is a mental health absence treated differently from a physical one?

It should not be. Acas says physical and mental health problems can both count as sickness and employers must treat them as equally important.

Do I get sick pay from the first day?

If you qualify for statutory sick pay, yes. Since 6 April 2026 SSP is paid from the first full day off sick, at £123.25 a week or 80% of your average weekly earnings, whichever is lower. How SSP works.

Need a note for time off work?

A GMC-registered UK doctor reviews your online questionnaire and decides whether a private sick note is appropriate. £47, no appointment needed.

Start your consultation

Assessed by a GMC-registered UK doctor. Full refund if a note cannot be issued on clinical grounds.

Time off work by condition