Sick Certificates in Ireland
What the law entitles you to, when a medical cert is required, and how online certs work.
The Sick Leave Act 2022 gave Irish employees a statutory right to paid sick leave for the first time — but the rules around how many days, at what rate, and when a medical certificate is actually required are widely misunderstood. This guide sets out your current entitlement, your employer's obligations, and how a same-day online GP consultation can get you a valid medical certificate without needing to visit a clinic in person.
Section 01
Your Statutory Sick Leave Entitlement
The Sick Leave Act 2022 introduced Ireland's first-ever statutory right to employer-paid sick leave, phased in gradually from 2023.
The Act originally planned a phased increase — 3 days in 2023, 5 days in 2024, 7 days in 2025, and 10 days in 2026. However, in April 2025 the Government confirmed that the planned increase to 7 days would not proceed, citing research from the ESRI showing the increase would disproportionately affect sectors such as retail and hospitality. As a result, the entitlement has remained at 5 statutory sick leave days per calendar year since 1 January 2024, and this remains unchanged for 2026, according to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment.
Before 2023, Ireland was one of the few EU member states with no statutory right to paid sick leave at all — whether you were paid while out sick depended entirely on your employer's own policy or your contract of employment, and many lower-paid and part-time workers had no paid sick leave whatsoever. The Sick Leave Act 2022 changed that baseline for every employee who meets the service requirement, regardless of what their individual contract says, though a contract can always improve on the statutory minimum — it can never reduce it. If your contract is silent on sick pay, or offers less than the statutory scheme, the statutory entitlement still applies as a legal floor.
Source: Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) sick leave guidance; Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (DETE), April 2025.
Section 02
Who Is Eligible
Statutory sick pay applies to almost all employees, but there is a minimum service requirement.
- You must have completed at least 13 weeks' continuous service with your current employer
- You must be incapable of working due to illness or injury on a day you would ordinarily have worked
- You must be certified by a registered medical practitioner as unable to work
- Sick leave days can be taken consecutively or as separate single days
- The entitlement applies to full-time, part-time, probationary, and apprenticeship employees alike
According to the Workplace Relations Commission, employees who have not yet completed 13 weeks' service are not entitled to statutory sick pay, though many employers choose to offer sick pay from day one as part of their own contractual terms — check your contract of employment or staff handbook, as many employers provide more generous terms than the statutory minimum.
The 13-week clock counts continuous service with your current employer, not your total years in the workforce — starting a new job resets it, even after decades with a previous employer. Continuous service is not broken by taking annual leave, public holidays, or approved leave such as maternity or parental leave, but a genuine gap between two separate jobs does reset the count. If you're within your first 13 weeks in a new role and become unwell, you may still have cover under your employer's own contractual sick pay policy even though the statutory scheme hasn't yet kicked in — check your contract rather than assuming you have no cover at all.
Section 03
When a Medical Certificate Is Required
A medical certificate from a registered medical practitioner is a legal requirement to claim statutory sick leave — it is not optional paperwork.
To avail of statutory sick pay under the Sick Leave Act 2022, you must provide your employer with a certificate from a registered medical practitioner confirming that you are unable to work due to illness or injury. Many employers also require a certificate for any absence beyond a short threshold set out in their own sick leave policy (commonly after one to three days), even for absences that don't rely on the statutory scheme — this is a matter of company policy rather than law, so check your contract or employee handbook.
- Single-day absences: many employers accept self-certification, but check your contract
- Absences claiming statutory sick pay: a medical certificate is legally required regardless of length
- Extended absences: your employer may request updated certificates at intervals they specify
- Certified absences are paid at 70% of usual earnings up to €110/day for statutory sick leave days
Section 04
Statutory Sick Leave vs Illness Benefit
These are two separate schemes, and understanding the difference matters for how much you're paid and by whom.
Statutory sick leave is paid directly by your employer, for up to 5 days per year, at 70% of your usual earnings (capped at €110/day). Illness Benefit is a separate payment from the Department of Social Protection for PRSI-paying employees who are out of work due to illness, typically becoming relevant once your statutory or contractual sick pay is exhausted, or if you don't qualify for employer-paid sick leave (for example, if you have less than 13 weeks' service). Illness Benefit has its own qualifying PRSI contribution conditions and a separate certification process, generally managed through your GP and the Department of Social Protection's online certification system.
Some employers integrate the two — reducing contractual sick pay by the amount of Illness Benefit received — so check your contract of employment to understand exactly how your employer handles this overlap.
Section 05
Employer Obligations and Disputes
Employers cannot penalise you for taking statutory sick leave, and there is a clear complaints process if they do.
Your employer must pay statutory sick leave for eligible absences and cannot dismiss you, or treat you unfavourably, for exercising your right to take it. If you believe your employer has wrongly refused or withheld statutory sick pay, you can raise a complaint with the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC), which can investigate and adjudicate disputes over statutory entitlements, including sick leave.
In practice, most sick pay disputes come down to a disagreement over one of three things: whether the 13-week service requirement was met, whether a valid medical certificate was provided in time, or how an employer's own enhanced scheme interacts with the statutory floor. Before escalating to the WRC, it's usually faster to raise the issue directly with HR or your manager in writing, referencing the specific pay period and certificate in question — many disputes are resolved at this stage once the paperwork is checked. If that doesn't resolve things, a WRC complaint can be lodged online, and adjudication decisions are legally binding on both parties.
Section 06
How Online Medical Certificates Work
A same-day online GP consultation can issue a valid medical certificate without the need to travel to a clinic while unwell.
An online medical certificate issued by an Irish Medical Council-registered GP carries the same legal standing as one issued in person, provided the consultation was conducted appropriately for your symptoms (see our companion guide on when online care is and isn't appropriate). This is particularly useful for common, self-limiting illnesses — colds, flu, migraines, gastroenteritis — where you need documentation for your employer but do not need, or are not well enough for, an in-person visit.
Need a sick certificate today?
Global Health's online GP consultations are available the same day from €39, with Irish Medical Council-registered doctors who can issue a sick certificate where clinically appropriate, without you needing to leave the house.
Section 07
Key Resources
These official sources set out the entitlements described in this article.
Source: Workplace Relations Commission sick leave guidance; Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, "Entitlement to statutory sick leave to remain unchanged at 5 days" (April 2025).
Section 08
Frequently Asked Questions
How many statutory sick days am I entitled to in 2026?
5 days per calendar year, paid at 70% of your usual daily earnings up to a maximum of €110 a day, provided you have at least 13 weeks' continuous service with your employer. This has been the entitlement since 1 January 2024 and remains unchanged for 2026.
Do I need a medical certificate for a single sick day?
To claim statutory sick pay, a medical certificate from a registered medical practitioner is legally required regardless of how many days you're absent. Some employers accept self-certification for very short absences as a matter of company policy — check your contract or staff handbook.
What's the difference between statutory sick pay and Illness Benefit?
Statutory sick pay is paid by your employer for up to 5 days a year. Illness Benefit is a separate PRSI-based payment from the Department of Social Protection, usually relevant once employer-paid sick leave is exhausted or if you don't meet the 13-week service requirement.
Can my employer refuse to pay me for a certified sick day?
Not if you meet the eligibility criteria — 13 weeks' service, a valid medical certificate, and an absence due to illness or injury on a day you'd normally work. If your employer wrongly withholds statutory sick pay, you can raise a complaint with the Workplace Relations Commission.
Do unused sick days carry over to the next year?
No. Statutory sick leave days are calculated per calendar year and any unused days expire at the end of that year — they do not roll over or accumulate.
Can I get a sick certificate from an online GP consultation in Ireland?
Yes. Global Health offers same-day online GP consultations with Irish Medical Council-registered doctors from €39, who can issue a medical certificate where clinically appropriate for your symptoms — carrying the same legal standing as an in-person certificate for statutory sick leave purposes. Book at myglobalhealth.online or email globalhealth@myglobalhealth.online.