What are acceptable reasons to call out of work?

Illness, injury, a contagious bug, a medical or dental appointment that cannot be moved, a family emergency, a childcare or care breakdown, a bereavement, a mental health crisis and serious transport or home emergencies are all widely accepted. The reason matters less than giving early notice through the channel your employer has asked you to use.

Do I have to tell my employer why I am off sick?

You must tell them that you are unfit to work and for how long you expect to be off, but you are not required to disclose a diagnosis or clinical detail. For the first seven calendar days you self-certify, which means your own statement is the evidence. A simple description such as a stomach bug or a migraine is enough.

How much is statutory sick pay in 2026?

For the 2026 to 2027 tax year, Statutory Sick Pay is 123.25 pounds a week or 80 per cent of your average weekly earnings, whichever is lower, for up to 28 weeks. From 6 April 2026 the three unpaid waiting days were abolished and the lower earnings limit was removed, so SSP is payable from the first day of sickness. Always confirm the current figure on GOV.UK.

Can I take a mental health day?

Yes. In the UK, mental ill health is treated the same as physical ill health for sick leave and sick pay, and you can self-certify for the first seven days without a fit note. You do not have to specify the condition. Saying you are unwell and unfit to work is sufficient.

When do I need a fit note from a doctor?

Only if you are off for more than seven calendar days in a row, counting weekends and non-working days. From the eighth day you need a fit note, which can be issued by a GP, nurse, pharmacist, physiotherapist or occupational therapist. Your employer cannot withhold sick pay simply because the fit note arrives late.

Can I be sacked for calling out of work too often?

Persistent short-term absence can lead to a capability process and, eventually, to dismissal, even where every absence was genuine. Employers are expected to follow a fair procedure and to consider reasonable adjustments if a disability is involved. Dismissal for a single genuine absence, or for taking emergency time off for a dependant, is far harder for an employer to justify.

Good Reasons to Call Out of Work, and How to Tell Your Boss

2 hours ago

6 min read

Until April 2026, being ill in the UK cost you money before it paid you anything. The first three days of any absence were unpaid waiting days, which meant a two-day stomach bug earned you nothing at all and gave everyone on a tight budget a strong financial reason to turn up contagious. That rule is gone. Since 6 April 2026, Statutory Sick Pay runs from day one, and the earnings threshold that excluded around 1.3 million low-paid workers has been removed. If the last thing you read about calling in sick was written before that, it is out of date.

Key Takeaways

● You can self-certify for the first seven calendar days. No fit note, no diagnosis, no doctor involved.

● SSP for 2026/27 is £123.25 a week or 80% of average weekly earnings, whichever is lower, now payable from day one.

● You must say you are unfit to work. You do not have to say what is wrong with you.

● Mental ill health counts as illness. It is treated the same as a physical condition for sick leave and sick pay.

● Early notice matters more than the reason. Most disciplinary trouble comes from telling people late, not from being off.

What counts as a good reason

Managers are rarely weighing your reason against some internal list of approved excuses. They are solving a rota problem and judging whether you are reliable. Both of those are helped by telling them early and clearly.

Reason	How it usually lands	What to say	Evidence needed
Contagious illness (vomiting, diarrhoea, flu, Covid)	Strongest reason there is. Nobody wants it spreading	"I have been up all night being sick and I should not come in"	None for 7 days
Injury	Accepted, especially if it affects your tasks	Name the limitation, not the drama	None for 7 days
Migraine or severe pain	Accepted. Hard to challenge	"I have a migraine and cannot look at a screen"	None for 7 days
Mental health	Legally identical to physical illness	"I am unwell and not fit to work today"	None for 7 days
Medical appointment	Usually approved if booked ahead	Ask in advance, offer to make up hours	Appointment letter sometimes
Sick child or dependant	Protected by law in emergencies	"My son's nursery has sent him home"	Rarely requested
Bereavement	Universally accepted	Keep it short, give a rough return date	None in practice
Burst pipe, flood, break-in	Accepted once. Twice raises eyebrows	Explain and give a realistic time	None
Transport collapse	Accepted if genuine and you tried alternatives	Say what you tried	None

Two things get people into unnecessary trouble. The first is over-explaining, because a long detailed story reads as rehearsed. "I have a stomach bug, I will not be in today, I will update you tomorrow" beats four paragraphs. The second is inventing a dead grandmother. If you are too run down to work, say you are unwell, because that is true and the lie is the only part that can be disproved later.

Your rights in the UK, as they stand in 2026

Sick pay

For the 2026 to 2027 tax year, SSP is the lower of £123.25 per week and 80% of your average weekly earnings, payable for up to 28 weeks. Two changes from 6 April 2026 matter: waiting days are gone, so payment starts on day one, and the lower earnings limit has gone, so part-time and low-paid staff qualify. Enforcement moved to the new Fair Work Agency. Rates change each April, so check GOV.UK before relying on the figure.

Many employers run contractual sick pay on top, often full pay for a set number of weeks. Your contract or staff handbook will say. A scheme can pay more than the statutory minimum but never less.

Self-certification and fit notes

For absences of seven calendar days or fewer, including weekends, you self-certify. Your employer cannot demand a doctor's note for that period. From the eighth day you need a fit note, which can come from a GP, a nurse, a pharmacist, a physiotherapist or an occupational therapist, not only a GP. GOV.UK is explicit that sick pay cannot be withheld just because a fit note turns up late.

Count calendar days, not shifts. Five working days plus a weekend plus one Monday is eight days, which means a fit note, even though you only missed six shifts.

Family emergencies and caring

Separate from sickness, employees have a right to reasonable unpaid time off for dependants under section 57A of the Employment Rights Act 1996. It covers emergencies: a child sent home from school, a care arrangement collapsing, a dependant falling ill or being injured. It is for dealing with the emergency, not for being the long-term carer.

For planned caring, carer's leave gives up to one week of unpaid leave a year, a day-one right since April 2024.

Bereavement

Statutory parental bereavement leave gives two weeks following the death of a child under 18 or a stillbirth after 24 weeks. For any other bereavement there is currently no general statutory right, and time off depends on your employer's compassionate leave policy. The Employment Rights Act 2025 creates a wider day-one right to unpaid bereavement leave, expected to come into force in April 2027.

What to actually say

Use whatever channel your employer has specified. If the handbook says ring your line manager, a text message is the thing that causes the problem, not the absence.

Phone, first thing: "Morning. I have been sick through the night and I am not fit to work today. I have moved my two o'clock call to Thursday. I will let you know by six tonight how tomorrow looks."

Text or chat, when that is the agreed route: "Hi Priya, I am unwell and will not be in today. Nothing urgent is outstanding apart from the Henderson file, which Sam has access to. I will update you this evening."

Email, for a planned appointment: "Hi Priya, I have a hospital appointment on Tuesday 14th at 11am that I cannot move. I would need roughly three hours. Happy to make the time up on Wednesday if that helps."

The pattern in all three is the same: state the absence, cover the handover, give a next checkpoint. Apologising repeatedly is the thing that makes it sound like an excuse.

Myths vs facts

Myth	Fact
You need a doctor's note to be off sick	Not for the first seven calendar days. You self-certify
Your employer can ask what illness you have	They can ask whether you are fit to work and when you expect to return. A diagnosis is medical information you are not obliged to volunteer
Mental health is not a valid reason	It is treated the same as physical illness for sick leave and sick pay
The first three days of sickness are unpaid	True before 6 April 2026. Waiting days have been abolished
You cannot be ill while on annual leave	If you fall sick during booked holiday you can convert those days to sick leave and reclaim the holiday
Going in sick shows commitment	It spreads infection and extends your own recovery. Working while ill is a cost to the employer, not a favour

Frequently asked questions

How early should I call?

Before your shift starts, and as early as your employer's policy allows. A 6am message about a 9am start gives a manager three hours to cover. A 9.05am message gives them none.

Can my employer refuse my sick leave?

They cannot refuse genuine sickness absence. They can question it, start an attendance process or ask you to attend a return-to-work meeting, which is normal practice rather than a punishment.

Does a sick day come out of my holiday?

No. Sick leave and annual leave are separate entitlements, and an employer cannot force you to take holiday when you are entitled to sick leave.

What if I am self-employed or on a zero-hours contract?

Zero-hours and agency workers can qualify for SSP, and the removal of the earnings threshold in April 2026 widened access considerably. The genuinely self-employed get no SSP and may need to look at Employment and Support Allowance or Universal Credit.

Should I tell my manager it is a mental health day?

That is your call and it depends on the relationship. You are entitled to say only that you are unwell. Many people find a trusted manager makes the whole thing easier, and some find the opposite.

Will frequent short absences be held against me?

Many employers use trigger systems such as the Bradford Factor, which weights frequent short absences more heavily than one long one. If a health condition is driving the pattern, raise it, because that opens the door to reasonable adjustments.

Disclaimer: This article gives general information on UK employment practice and is not legal advice. Rates, rules and implementation dates change, so confirm current figures on GOV.UK. For advice on your own situation, contact Acas, Citizens Advice or an employment solicitor.