How should you notify your employer about sick leave?
The short answer
Under § 5 paragraph 1 continued remuneration law (Entgeltfortzahlungsgesetz, EFZG), you must report your incapacity for work and its expected duration without delay. If it lasts more than three calendar days, an additional medical evidence requirement generally applies. Your employer may require evidence earlier; with private care, pay attention to the submission route.
How do sickness notification and medical evidence differ?
Your sickness notification tells your employer that incapacity for work currently prevents you from doing your job. The medical certificate additionally records the doctor's assessment and the expected period of incapacity for work. This distinction follows from the separate notification and evidence duties set out in § 5 EFZG. Your own message and the subsequent certificate may therefore reach your employer at different times.
Check the agreed reporting channel and ideally find the relevant contact details before you become ill. This avoids searching for the responsible person or a suitable inbox while experiencing acute symptoms. If unsure, ask how the company receives notifications outside its usual office opening hours. Keep your message clear so the essential information can be understood without requiring further questions.
What deadlines does the law set for medical evidence?
§ 5 paragraph 1 EFZG uses calendar days for the threshold of incapacity lasting more than three days. The certificate must generally be submitted by the following working day; an earlier request remains possible. Paragraph 1a contains special arrangements for statutory insurance patients, particularly regarding medical assessment and electronic handling. The following overview separates these individual steps instead of assuming one deadline applies to everything.
| Step | General rule under § 5 EFZG |
|---|---|
| Notify your employer | Report incapacity and its expected duration without delay |
| Provide medical evidence | Generally by the next working day if incapacity exceeds 3 calendar days |
| Check earlier requirements | Your employer may request evidence earlier |
| Report continuing incapacity | Arrange a further certificate or assessment if the illness continues |
All deadlines in this overview refer to § 5 Absätze 1 und 1a EFZG, rather than a single deadline for every situation. Also check whether your employer already requires medical evidence from your first day of absence. Do not delay a necessary consultation solely because of a general three-day rule found online. Particularly before days off, clarify your workplace's procedure early so you can plan the required steps.
Does electronic processing change your duty to notify?
Under § 5 EFZG, you must still notify your employer yourself even when medical evidence is handled electronically. Subject to its conditions, paragraph 1a simplifies submission without replacing prompt notification of your absence. Statutory insurance patients must also have incapacity assessed and certified at the required times. Check both steps separately when organising your sickness notification and the necessary medical evidence.
§ 5 paragraph 1a EFZG expressly provides an exception for doctors working outside the statutory insurance care system. Our service provides a PDF for you to submit yourself and no notification to your health insurance fund. If your employer expects electronic retrieval, tell the responsible department about this submission method. Also ask where to send the employer's copy and how receipt of it can be confirmed.
How can you write a short and useful message?
As a starting point, say that you are unable to work today and state the expected duration. If necessary, add that medical assessment is pending and you will update the dates afterwards. Use specific dates so your message remains clear even if someone processes it later. § 5 paragraph 1 EFZG sets out the essential notification details; this wording is only intended as practical guidance.
Keep your sent message so its date and recipient can be traced if questions arise later. After the examination, check whether the certified period differs from your initial estimate of absence. Report any continuation according to the actual course of your illness and arrange further evidence. § 5 EFZG expressly also covers incapacity for work that lasts longer than the period initially certified.
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?
- Can your employer require a sick note from the first day?
- How can you get a sick note at weekends or on holidays?
- What is the difference between electronic incapacity certificate (elektronische Arbeitsunfähigkeitsbescheinigung, eAU) and a PDF sick note?
Frequently asked questions
Can I wait until I receive my certificate?
Under § 5 EFZG, the duty to notify without delay exists independently of the later medical evidence. Inform your employer early, then add the period established by the doctor after your assessment.
Will I receive a certificate after every video consultation?
After the consultation, the doctor decides whether there is a medical basis for incapacity for work. Our service therefore expressly offers no promise of a certificate before the examination.
How does my certificate reach my employer?
You receive the PDF in your patient account and then submit it to your employer yourself. Under our terms of service, eAU and transmission to your health insurance fund are excluded.
What should I do if symptoms last longer?
Contact a local practice for further assessment and describe how your symptoms have developed. Our service covers up to three calendar days and offers no extension of a certificate already issued.
Sources for this guide
Editorial team Krankschreibung per Video, Drylabs GmbH
Updated: 26 October 2026