Sick note dates explained: end dates and weekends
How to read the dates on a sick note: weekends, bank holidays, the start date and the question everyone asks about the end date.
The short answer. Weekends count: the first-week self-certification period runs on calendar days, weekends and bank holidays included, and a note covering a date range covers every day in it. The end date is not your first day back: DWP guidance says fit note dates are inclusive, so a note ending on the 10th stops applying from the 11th. Confirm your return day with your employer.
Is the end date on a sick note the day you return to work?
This is the most searched question about sick note dates. DWP’s guidance for healthcare professionals answers it: the dates are inclusive. Its own example is a fit note dated 2 April to 10 April, which no longer applies from 11 April. So the end date is a day the note still covers, and you would normally be back on your next working day after it.
Shift patterns and employer policies vary, so three practical steps avoid an awkward first morning:
- Ask early. A few days before the end date, ask your manager or HR which day they expect you in. Get the answer in writing if you can.
- Go back sooner if you are ready. You can return before a fit note ends without seeing the clinician again, so a disagreement about one day need not keep you at home.
- Act before the date if you are still unwell. A further note needs a further assessment, so contact your surgery while the current note is still running.
If you are returning early or wondering what happens as the note runs out, see going back before your sick note ends.
Does a sick note include weekends?
A note that covers a range of dates covers each of those days, whether or not you would have worked them. Weekends matter in two other places too.
The self-certification week. You can self-certify for up to 7 days, and GOV.UK says that count includes non-working days such as weekends and bank holidays. Your employer can only ask for a fit note once you have been off for more than 7 days in a row, again counting non-working days. The self-certification guide has a day-by-day worked example.
Sick pay. Statutory Sick Pay is paid only for qualifying days, the days you normally work. A Monday to Friday worker whose note runs over a weekend is covered for those days but is not paid Statutory Sick Pay for them. Company sick pay follows your contract.
The date on the note and the dates it covers
A fit note carries two kinds of date, and mixing them up causes confusion.
- The date of the statement is the day the note was issued. DWP guidance says this must always be the actual issue date.
- The period covered is the span you are assessed as unfit, or fit with changes. It can include dates earlier than the issue date in certain situations, for example when you were assessed before the note was written. It cannot begin in the future.
For when and how far a note can look back, see can a sick note be backdated, and for everything else, the guide to UK sick note rules.
Bank holidays and days you do not work
Bank holidays are treated like weekends. They count towards the 7-day self-certification limit and sit inside any date range on a note. For Statutory Sick Pay, what matters is whether the day is one you would normally work.
Holiday booked during a sick note
Taking annual leave during a period of sickness does not interrupt it for Statutory Sick Pay purposes. If you fall ill just before or during holiday, GOV.UK says you can take it as sick leave instead. Tell your employer you are ill as you would for any other absence.
Gaps between two sick notes
For Statutory Sick Pay, two periods of sickness separated by 8 weeks or less are linked and treated as one. That affects how much of your 28-week entitlement is left, not the dates on either note.
Dates on a private sick note
A private sick note states the dates the doctor assessed you as unfit for work. Read them in the same way, and agree your return day with your employer, who decides whether to accept the certificate. Benefit claims for Universal Credit or Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) still need an NHS fit note.
Common questions
Is the end date on a sick note the day you return to work?
No. DWP guidance says fit note dates are inclusive, so the end date is still covered and the note stops applying the day after. Confirm with your employer which day they expect you back.
Does a sick note include weekends?
If the note gives a period from one date to another, the weekends in between fall inside it. Weekends also count towards the first week you can self-certify.
Do weekends count as sick days for sick pay?
Only if you normally work them. Statutory Sick Pay is paid for qualifying days, which are the days you usually work.
Can a sick note start before the day I saw the doctor?
Sometimes. DWP guidance allows a fit note to include earlier dates in certain situations. It cannot start on a future date. Backdated sick notes explained.
My sick note ends today and I still feel unwell. What do I do?
Contact your GP surgery, or whoever issued the note, as early as you can and tell your employer. A further note needs a further assessment.
Sources. The legal, pay and clinical facts on this page were checked against these primary sources on 27 October 2026. Rules and rates change, and your employer’s own policy may add to them, so check your contract or HR policy too.
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