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Sick Note Template for Canada
A sick note, or medical certificate, confirms that you assessed your patient and that they couldn’t work or attend school for the dates you give. Copy the template, see a work and a school example, and check when employers in each province can ask for a note.
For clinicians in Canada.Outside Canada? Use the doctor’s note template.
- Free, no account needed
- Word and text downloads
- Two filled examples
Blank sick note template
FreeSICK NOTE / MEDICAL CERTIFICATE [Clinic name] [Address] [Phone] Date: [Date you write the note] To: [Employer or school, or To whom it may concern] Patient: [Patient's full name] Date of birth: [Date] ASSESSMENT I assessed [patient name] on [date of assessment]. Visit: [In person, or virtual by video or phone] Reported by the patient: [When the illness started, and any days missed before the visit] ABSENCE Unable to work or attend school from [first day] to [last day], inclusive. Expected return: [Date] Reassessment: [Date, if the return date isn't known yet, or not needed] FITNESS ON RETURN [Fit for full duties, or fit with these restrictions: what the patient can't do, and for how long] DIAGNOSIS [Not included, or with the patient's consent: the diagnosis or a plain description] The patient asked for this note and agreed to its content. [Your name, profession] [College name and registration number] [Signature] To verify this note: [Clinic phone or email]
Use it for
- Short absences from work
- Missed exams or classes
- Longer or repeated absences
- Virtual visits
- Federally regulated employers
Two filled examples. Every part, filled in.
Each one follows the template. Use them to judge how much detail every part needs.
Sick note example: 5 working days off with influenza
Family physician, in-person visit; note for the employer
Patient
38-year-old office manager. The note is addressed “To whom it may concern” for her employer.
Assessment
I assessed her in person on Tuesday, October 20, 2026. She reports fever, cough, and body aches since Sunday, October 18, and has been off work since Monday, October 19.
Absence
Unable to work from Monday, October 19, to Friday, October 23, 2026, inclusive: 5 working days. October 19 is based on her history.
Fitness on return
Expected to return on Monday, October 26, 2026, to full duties, with no restrictions.
Diagnosis
Influenza. Included at her request; she agreed to share it with her employer.
Signed
Family physician, with her college registration number, signature, and the clinic’s phone number for verification.
Sick note example: university student who missed 2 exams
Walk-in clinic, in-person visit; note for the student’s university
Patient
20-year-old second-year university student. Her university has its own illness verification form, so the same facts go on it.
Assessment
I assessed her in person on Thursday, October 15, 2026. She reports vomiting and diarrhea since the night of Tuesday, October 13, and missed her exam on Wednesday, October 14. She was still unwell when I saw her and could not write her exam that day.
Absence
Unable to attend classes or write exams from Wednesday, October 14, to Friday, October 16, 2026, inclusive. This covers her 2 missed exams, on October 14 and 15. October 14 is based on her history.
Fitness on return
Expected to resume classes and exams on Monday, October 19, 2026. No accommodations needed.
Diagnosis
Not included, at her request.
Signed
Physician at the walk-in clinic, with college registration number, signature, and the clinic’s phone number for verification. The same dates go on the university’s form.
When employers can ask for a sick note. Checked October 2026.
Employment standards set when an employer can require a note for a short absence. Collective agreements, contracts, and benefit plans can differ; for other provinces and territories, check their employment standards office.
Ontario
Since October 28, 2024, employers can’t require a note from a qualified health practitioner (a physician, registered nurse, or psychologist) for the 3 days of unpaid, job-protected sick leave under the Employment Standards Act. A note can still be required for other purposes, such as accommodation or return to work.
British Columbia
Employers can’t ask for a note from a health professional for an employee’s first 2 health-related absences of 5 days or less in a calendar year (Employment Standards Act, s. 49.2). For a 3rd or later absence, they may ask only for proof that is reasonable. A note can be requested when it’s needed for a return to work or accommodation.
Nova Scotia
Since July 1, 2023, employers can ask for a note only if the employee is absent for more than 5 working days, or has already had 2 absences of 5 or fewer working days in the previous 12 months. Any regulated health care provider who is giving care can write it.
Québec
Since January 1, 2025, employers can’t ask for a medical note for the first 3 absences of 3 consecutive days or less taken each year.
Manitoba
Since October 1, 2026, employers can’t ask for a sick note when an employee misses a week or less, or 10 days or less of illness in a calendar year. An employer that requires a note must repay its reasonable cost. Documentation for long-term leave, accommodation, or return to work isn’t limited.
Saskatchewan
Employers can’t require a note unless the absence lasts more than 5 consecutive working days, or the employee has had non-consecutive absences of 2 or more working days for illness or injury in the previous 12 months. Requests must be in writing.
New Brunswick
When an employee asks for sick leave of 4 or more consecutive days, the employer can require a medical certificate stating that they can’t work because of illness or injury.
Alberta
The law doesn’t require a medical certificate for personal and family responsibility leave, and employers can set their own documentation policies. For long-term illness and injury leave, the employee needs a certificate from a physician or nurse practitioner with the expected length of the leave.
Federally regulated employers
For medical leave of 5 days or longer, paid or unpaid, the employer may require a certificate from a health care practitioner, requested in writing within 15 days of the return to work. It certifies that the employee couldn’t work for the time they were away.
What goes in each part.
Clinic and patient
Who wrote the note, and who it is about. Letterhead lets the reader check it with you.
- Clinic name, address, and phone, on letterhead
- The date you write the note
- The patient’s full name and date of birth
- Who it is for: the employer or school, or “To whom it may concern”
Avoid: Dating the note earlier than the day you write it.
Assessment
When and how you assessed the patient. The rest of the note rests on it.
- The date you assessed the patient
- In person, or virtual by video or phone
- Days missed before the visit, labeled as reported by the patient
Avoid: Writing days before the visit as if you had assessed the patient on them.
Absence and return
The dates the patient couldn’t work or attend school, and when they can go back.
- The first and last day of the absence
- The expected return date
- A reassessment date, if you can’t yet say when they’ll be fit
Avoid: “Off until further notice.” Give an end date, or the date you will reassess.
Fitness and restrictions
What the patient can do when they return, in words the employer can act on.
- Fit for full duties, or fit with restrictions
- Each restriction, and how long it lasts
- A separate return-to-work note, if the restrictions need more detail
Avoid: Medical detail in place of function. Say what the patient can’t do, not why.
Diagnosis and consent
Employers and schools usually need the dates and what the patient can do, not the diagnosis.
- No diagnosis, unless the patient asks you to include it
- If they do: the diagnosis, or a plain description they agree to
- That the patient asked for the note and agreed to its content
Avoid: Adding the diagnosis because the employer’s form has a box for it.
Signature and verification
So the reader knows who wrote the note and can check it with you.
- Your name and profession
- Your college and registration number
- Your signature
- A phone number or email for verification
Avoid: Saying more than you need when someone calls to check. Confirm that you wrote it, and share nothing else without the patient’s consent.
Common mistakes, and how to avoid them.
Certifying days you didn’t see
Days before the visit come from the patient’s history. Say so, and give the date you assessed them.
A diagnosis without consent
Employers and schools usually need the dates and what the patient can do. Add the diagnosis only if the patient agrees.
No end date
“Until further notice” leaves the employer guessing. Give a return date, or the date you will reassess.
A letter where a form is needed
Many schools have their own illness verification form, and workplace injury claims and insurers use their own forms. Ask before you write.
Back-dating the note
Date the note on the day you write it. If it covers earlier days, list them in the note.
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Frequently asked questions.
What should a sick note include in Canada?
The date you assessed the patient, in person or virtually; the dates they couldn’t work or attend school; the expected return or a reassessment date; and whether they are fit for full duties. Add your name, profession, college registration number, and signature. Leave the diagnosis out unless the patient agrees.
Is a medical certificate the same as a sick note?
Usually, yes. “Medical certificate” is the term many laws and forms use, such as New Brunswick’s rules and the federal labour standards. “Sick note” and “doctor’s note” mean the same document.
Can an employer in Ontario ask for a doctor’s note?
Not for the 3 days of unpaid, job-protected sick leave under the Employment Standards Act. Since October 28, 2024, employers can’t require a note from a physician, registered nurse, or psychologist for that leave. A note can still be required for other purposes, such as accommodation or return to work.
Do employers in BC need a sick note?
Not for an employee’s first 2 health-related absences of 5 days or less in a calendar year. After that, they may ask only for proof that is reasonable, and the province’s guidance says a note will likely not be reasonable for a short, common illness such as a cold or flu.
Who can write a sick note in Canada?
It depends on the province and on who asks. Ontario’s rule names physicians, registered nurses, and psychologists; Nova Scotia accepts any regulated provider who is giving care; Manitoba lists physicians, physician assistants, several kinds of nurse, psychologists, and midwives. For EI sickness benefits, the treating practitioner signs the certificate.
Can a clinic charge for a sick note?
Usually, yes: a note for an employer or school is generally an uninsured service. In Ontario, the CPSO says fees must be reasonable and that physicians must consider the patient’s ability to pay. In Manitoba, an employer that requires a sick note must repay its reasonable cost.
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What do I say if an employer calls to check a note?
Confirm that you wrote it, and nothing more. The CMPA advises giving no further information without the patient’s consent or other legal authority.
Can I write a sick note after a virtual visit?
Yes, if you could assess the patient well enough to support it. Say in the note that the visit was by video or phone. Manitoba’s rules say a listed professional who cared for the employee by telehealth can provide the note.
Is this sick note template free?
Yes. Copy it, or download it as a Word or text file. No account needed.
Can Vero write a sick note from my visit?
Yes. Vero drafts the note from your visit in your template. Review the dates and what it shares, then export it to PDF or Word, print it, or email it.
More templates, and guides.
Doctor’s note template
For work or school: the visit, the dates off, the return, and any limits.
Return-to-work note template
To an employer: full or modified duties, the restrictions, how long they last, and the review date.
Medical leave letter template
To an employer or leave administrator: when the leave starts, how long it lasts, the review date, and what the return needs.
Workplace accommodation letter template
To an employer: what the condition limits, the change that would help, how long, and answers to the employer’s questions.
Pregnancy accommodation letter template
To an employer: the pregnancy-related limitation, the change needed at work, and how long it lasts.
Employment Insurance forms
The EI sickness medical certificate and the other Service Canada forms clinicians fill in.
Vero Documents
Fill a school’s illness form and other PDFs from the visit and the chart.
Your template. Filled in from the visit.
Vero writes your notes and letters in the templates you choose, so you review instead of type.
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