Guides to sick leave, carer’s leave and medical certificates
Based on the Fair Work Ombudsman and other primary sources. General information only; your award or registered agreement may differ.
Sick and carer’s leave entitlements
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Carer’s leave in Australia: who you can take it for, how many days, and what evidence you need
Who counts as immediate family or household, how much paid carer’s leave you get, when unpaid carer’s leave applies, and what evidence employers can ask for.
Updated 3 October 2026
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Compassionate leave in Australia: who it covers, how many days, and what evidence you need
When you can take compassionate leave, who it covers, how the 2 days work, how it’s paid, and what evidence employers can ask for.
Updated 3 October 2026
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Does sick leave roll over, and is it paid out when you leave?
Unused sick and carer’s leave carries over each year in Australia, but it isn’t paid out when your job ends. What that means and what to check.
Updated 3 October 2026
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How much sick leave do you get in Australia?
Full-time employees get 10 days of paid sick and carer’s leave a year. How it’s calculated for part-time workers, how it accrues and how it’s paid.
Updated 3 October 2026
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Personal leave vs sick leave vs carer’s leave: what’s the difference?
Personal leave, sick leave and carer’s leave are one shared entitlement in Australia. Here’s what each name means and how they differ from other leave.
Updated 3 October 2026
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Sick and carer’s leave for casual and part-time workers
Casuals don’t get paid sick leave but can take unpaid carer’s leave. Part-time workers get pro rata paid leave. What each is entitled to in Australia.
Updated 3 October 2026
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Sick on annual leave: can you swap it for sick leave?
Got sick during annual leave? You can usually use paid sick leave instead and have the annual leave recredited. Here’s how notice and evidence work.
Updated 3 October 2026
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What can you use sick leave for? Appointments, injuries, stress and other common questions
Sick leave covers illness or injury that stops you working, including stress. When appointments count, what goes under other leave, and what evidence you need.
Updated 3 October 2026
Evidence your employer can ask for
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Statutory declaration for sick or carer’s leave: when it works and how to make one
When a statutory declaration can count as evidence for sick or carer’s leave in Australia, and the three ways to make a Commonwealth stat dec.
Updated 3 October 2026
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What a medical certificate includes, and what your employer can’t ask
There’s no set format for a medical certificate under Fair Work rules. What it needs to show, and what the Fair Work Ombudsman says employers can and can’t ask.
Updated 3 October 2026
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When do you legally need a medical certificate for work in Australia?
There’s no fixed number of sick days you can take without a certificate. Here’s what the Fair Work Act says about evidence, and what your employer can ask for.
Updated 3 October 2026
Medical certificates explained
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Can you get a free medical certificate online in Australia?
Free and low-cost ways to get evidence for sick leave in Australia: statutory declarations, bulk-billed GPs, pharmacists, and what online certificates cost.
Updated 3 October 2026
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Sick note vs medical certificate vs carer’s certificate: what’s the difference?
What sick notes, medical certificates and carer’s certificates mean in Australia, who issues them and which one your employer or uni is asking for.
Updated 3 October 2026
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Who can issue a medical certificate in Australia? Doctors, pharmacists and nurse practitioners
Who can give you evidence for sick or carer’s leave in Australia: what the Fair Work Act says, where pharmacists and nurse practitioners fit, and what to check.
Updated 3 October 2026
Talking to your employer
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How to tell your employer you’re sick: what to say, with email templates
What to say when you call in sick in Australia, what you don’t have to share, and simple sick leave email and text templates you can copy.
Updated 3 October 2026
Study, exams and special consideration
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Deferred exams and assignment extensions when you’re sick
How extensions and missed-exam arrangements can work when you’re sick, using UNSW as an example, and what to do if you’re unwell on exam day.
Updated 3 October 2026
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Special consideration: what medical evidence your uni or TAFE needs
How special consideration evidence usually works, using UNSW as a worked example, and what to check in your own uni or TAFE’s policy before you apply.
Updated 3 October 2026