Backdated sick note: up to three days after medical assessment

When can a sick note be backdated?

The certificate usually starts on the day of the video consultation after medical assessment. If symptoms began earlier, the doctor may consider backdating after careful examination. Our service allows the start to be moved back by up to three days in exceptional cases. The doctor must be able to assess your incapacity for work during that earlier period.

The onset of symptoms alone does not automatically determine the certified start of incapacity. Their effect on your actual work also matters. Describe your duties and the limitations on the relevant days. The actual issue date remains separate from the backdated start and cannot simply be chosen.

What does the doctor assess before backdating?

The doctor asks when your symptoms began and how they developed. Explain which limitations were already present and how they changed over time. Existing records and earlier medical contacts may help clarify the timeline. Do not invent details if you cannot remember a particular time accurately.

For statutory care doctors, § 5 paragraph 3 of the Arbeitsunfähigkeits-Richtlinie allows backdating as a narrow exception after careful assessment. The rule requires exceptional circumstances and careful examination, generally allowing no more than three days. It serves as guidance for the individual decision in our private medical service. The linked version took effect on 21 February 2024 following the amendment of 7 December 2023.

Why is there no entitlement to backdating?

The decision depends on whether your symptoms can be assessed and whether the reported course is plausible. An entry in a questionnaire cannot replace this assessment, nor can booking or payment. Under our terms, the treating doctor decides the start and duration. Even with backdating, the entire certificate covers no more than three calendar days, including earlier days.

If earlier limitations cannot be assessed adequately, the doctor may refuse backdating. There is no promise that every requested past sick day will be certified. Contact our service on your first sick day whenever possible and explain your situation fully. We do not extend existing certificates by video, even if symptoms continue.

How could backdating after a weekend work?

Suppose symptoms start on Saturday and you consult a doctor on Monday. Explain why your symptoms prevented your actual work from Saturday onwards. If the doctor carefully establishes incapacity during that earlier period, exceptional backdating to Saturday may be possible. A certificate from Saturday to Monday covers three calendar days in total, including Sunday.

This example is not a promise for your case and cannot replace individual medical assessment. The three-day backdating window and the three-calendar-day total duration are separate limits. Backdating does not provide three additional sick days after the consultation. Notify your employer of your incapacity without delay, even when your video consultation takes place later.

What do you need to tell your employer?

Notify your employer without delay that you cannot work and how long you expect the absence to last. This legal duty to notify follows from § 5 paragraph 1 EFZG, the German continued remuneration law (Entgeltfortzahlungsgesetz, EFZG). Where possible, send your notification before waiting for the video consultation to finish. If unsure, ask which reporting channel to use and who handles sickness notifications at work.

Keep your sickness notification separate from the medical evidence covering the period certified by the doctor. With this service, you receive a PDF for your employer after the doctor establishes incapacity for work. You submit it yourself; there is no electronic transmission to your health insurance fund here. Our terms of service explain this service limit alongside the procedure for the private medical consultation.

Before sending the certificate, check the recipient, your name and the period stated on it. Store your own copy and confirmation of submission somewhere protected for your personal records. If questions arise, you can then find and identify the documents you actually submitted more easily.

What are the limits and fees of this service?

Our service is for adults aged 18 and over whose symptoms can be assessed adequately by video. Generally accepted professional standards must allow your treatment without an in-person medical consultation. The certificate usually starts on the day of your video consultation. After careful medical assessment, the doctor may exceptionally backdate its start by up to three days. The doctor must also be able to establish your incapacity for work during that earlier period. There is no entitlement to backdating. The certificate still covers no more than three calendar days, including any backdated days. This service does not extend an existing certificate by video. Contact us on your first day of illness whenever possible. Further details are set out in our terms of service.

According to our service, a base consultation fee of €10.72 is reserved before the appointment. If a medically necessary visual examination is actually performed, the fee totals €21.44 plus applicable surcharges. The fee remains payable even if the medical assessment does not result in a certificate. Before booking, read the full pricing information carefully, including details of any possible surcharges.

People with statutory health insurance pay themselves; reimbursement by private insurance depends on their policy terms. Our terms of service do not guarantee reimbursement or acceptance of the certificate by your employer. Have your identity document and a device with a camera and microphone ready for the consultation. Check your internet connection and choose somewhere you can speak without being disturbed by others.

Where can you find further answers?

These related guides provide further information about the next steps in reporting your sickness absence:

• Is a sick note issued by video valid in Germany?
• How should you notify your employer about sick leave?
• Can your employer require a sick note from the first day?
• How can you get a sick note at weekends or on holidays?

Editorial team Krankschreibung per Video, Drylabs GmbH

Updated: 26 October 2026