Does everyone need a cert on the first day?
Not necessarily for your employer. Your employer’s own sick-leave policy determines when they require medical certification. Statutory sick-pay and Department of Social Protection requirements are separate issues.
For 2026, statutory sick leave remains five days per calendar year for eligible employees who have worked for their current employer for at least 13 weeks.
What is statutory sick leave?
Statutory sick leave is paid by your employer for qualifying sick days. Your employer may provide a more generous contractual sick-leave arrangement.
What is Illness Benefit?
Illness Benefit is different. It is a Department of Social Protection payment for eligible people who cannot work because they are ill. Medical certification is part of that process, but the documentation for a social-welfare claim should not automatically be confused with an ordinary note for an employer.
Can an online GP give me a sick certificate?
Potentially, yes. The important issue is whether the doctor can reasonably assess your illness remotely and is satisfied that you are medically unfit for work. A certificate is not simply purchased; the GP makes a clinical decision after assessment.
Can a sick cert be backdated?
You should not assume that a doctor will backdate a certificate. A GP can only certify what they can professionally support based on the available clinical information. If you believe you will need medical certification, arrange assessment promptly rather than waiting several days.
Does my employer need to know my diagnosis?
A routine medical certificate generally confirms incapacity for work rather than functioning as a detailed medical report for your employer. Your underlying medical information remains confidential. Specific occupational-health forms or reports may have different requirements.
Can an online GP certify anything?
No. Fitness-to-work assessments, driving medicals, sports medicals, detailed insurance reports and occupational-health reports may require different documentation or physical examination and should not be treated as ordinary short-term sick certificates.
| PrivateGP.ieIf you are unwell now and need medical certification, PrivateGP.ie gives you a private way to speak with an Irish GP online without waiting for a routine practice appointment. A certificate can only be issued where the GP considers it clinically appropriate after assessment. |
When is online assessment appropriate?
A straightforward respiratory or gastrointestinal illness may sometimes be assessable remotely. A GP may recommend examination instead if you have significant breathing symptoms, severe abdominal pain, neurological symptoms, serious injury or another problem requiring a physical examination.
References and further information