Get a Sick Note for Anxiety
Anxiety is a clinically valid reason to take time off work, issued by a UK GP with full sensitivity and confidentiality.
You should not have to explain yourself in a waiting room to get the documentation you need. Get a signed GP sick note. No appointment needed.
✔ Anxiety, panic disorder, generalised anxiety and related conditions all covered.
✔ Treated with full clinical sensitivity and confidentiality.
✔ Most Same day or by 9AM next morning. From £47.
✔ Full refund if the GP cannot issue.
GET MY SICK NOTE 
Dr Maria Knobel Medical Director Need ongoing documentation? See also our sick note for work, stress leave certificate and mental health support letter.
Get your medical certificate delivered straight to your inbox from £37
How It Works
Complete a short online questionnaire
No appointment required. Complete a short medical questionnaire and upload any supporting evidence.
Doctor reviews your evidence
A GMC-registered doctor reviews your submission individually. No automated approvals.
✔ Full refund if the GP cannot issue.
Receive your certificate
Certificates arrive most same day, all by 9AM next morning, delivered as a signed PDF direct to your inbox.
Very happy, I ordered my Medical Certificate in the early morning hours and before noon time of same day I had it on my inbox. Speedy service and they present the health condition precisely, get to the point.
They meet the incredibly fast turnaround stated (certificate/letter sent before 9am the following morning if the doctor feels that a letter/certificate is appropriate) which is incredibly quick and I am really grateful for the help provided!
Very easy and quick to get my certificate. And the certificate was approved from the specific company to travel with my dog. I will use them again. Well done.
Second time using this company and they are fabulous! Always great, fast, friendly service. Highly recommend!
This was my second time using Medical Cert, and once again the service was exceptionally quick and professional. Everything was handled efficiently, with clear communication throughout.
I found the service very straight forward and quick. Exactly what I needed to get my Padi medical form signed before our holiday. Thank you very much.
Process was easy and responses were quick. I would recommend their service.
Fast efficient service for medical certificates. I used the not fit to fly service and was provided with a certificate the next day, the price is very reasonable and enabled a flight credit refund with my airline. Would recommend and would use again if needed.
A fast and efficient service. It wasn't complicated and the Fit-to-fly note was accepted by the Airport without any further questions. Thank you.
Ideal for me, I am looking to get a certificate for some medical issues I have. So this is the perfect solution for me, uploading docs was easy and the forms very straightforward to fill in. Will definitely use them again. Many thanks.
Excellent service. Easy to use and certificate issued in less than 24 hours. £39 as opposed to the £150 my GP charges. Highly recommended.
Quick and reasonably pain-free. Received their standard certificate as well as my requested bespoke certificate, by email, by 9am the following morning. Both completed properly, signed and stamped as required. More expensive than my GP, but infinitely quicker and easier.
One of the best experiences. It's easy to get a GP note.
Excellent. My GP refuses to issue DWP MED 3 Fit Notes to students. MedicalCert were excellent and extremely helpful in providing a necessary certificate. Highly recommended.
You were amazing, you kept me updated and replied promptly to any queries I had. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
They helped me, they were very professional and nice.
Very pleased. Quick service with very professional letter provided.
Great service, pretty straight forward and easy to use the website.
I was recommended Medical Cert by a friend and was so impressed with the service received. I would recommend using a laptop rather than a phone. Overall a fantastic and fast service.
Sick Note for Anxiety
Anxiety is one of the most common reasons people are signed off work in the UK — approximately one in three fit notes issued by GPs relates to a mental health condition, with anxiety, stress, and depression the leading causes. A sick note for anxiety is a medical document from a GMC-registered doctor confirming that your anxiety is affecting your ability to work and certifying a period of absence.
MedicalCert provides anxiety sick notes through GMC-registered UK doctors, most approved same day, following an online clinical assessment. No GP appointment, no waiting room, no need to explain your situation face-to-face.
For general guidance on mental health sick notes — including the 7-day rule, current SSP entitlement, your legal rights, and what the certificate contains — see our mental health sick note guide. This page covers what is specific to anxiety.
GMC-registered doctors | Most approved same day | Full refund if we cannot issue
Can You Get a Sick Note for Anxiety?
Yes. Anxiety is a legitimate medical condition and a valid reason to be signed off work in the UK. Under UK employment law, mental health conditions are treated the same as physical illness — your employer cannot refuse to accept a valid sick note because the underlying condition is psychological rather than physical.
A GP does not need to diagnose a specific anxiety disorder to issue a sick note. If your symptoms are affecting your ability to do your job — whether through difficulty concentrating, panic attacks, severe sleep disruption, or an inability to face the workplace — a certificate can be issued where clinically appropriate.
The fit note will typically list the condition as "anxiety", "anxiety and depression", or "stress and anxiety" — keeping clinical detail to the minimum required while giving your employer the documentation they need. You are not required to share additional medical detail beyond what appears on the certificate.
How Long Can You Be Signed Off Work with Anxiety?
There is no legal maximum period. Duration is determined by clinical assessment — the type and severity of your anxiety, its functional impact on work, and your recovery progress. The table below gives a general guide; your doctor will advise based on your individual presentation.
| Anxiety type | Typical time off work | What the doctor considers |
|---|---|---|
| Acute anxiety episode | 1 to 2 weeks | Recent trigger, significant but short-term functional impairment. Rest and removal from the stressor typically sufficient for recovery. |
| Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) | 2 to 6 weeks initially, reviewed ongoing | Persistent worry, sleep disruption, and cognitive impairment affecting daily function. Return likely with adjustments such as phased hours or working from home. |
| Workplace-triggered anxiety | 2 to 8 weeks or longer | Anxiety closely tied to a specific workplace situation. Duration may depend on whether the trigger can be resolved or adjusted. Reasonable adjustments on return are common. |
| Severe or chronic anxiety | 3 to 6 months or longer | Agoraphobia, panic disorder, or anxiety preventing basic daily function. Ongoing SSP and regular clinical review. May trigger Equality Act disability protections. |
Statutory Sick Pay is available for up to 28 weeks of certified absence at £123.25 per week, payable from day one under the current rules. Each MedicalCert certificate covers up to 14 days, with extensions issued as clinically needed.
Anxiety Symptoms That Affect Fitness for Work
A sick note is issued based on how your symptoms impact your ability to work — not on a formal diagnosis alone. The following are common presentations that a doctor considers when assessing whether a period of absence is clinically appropriate:
Sudden episodes of intense fear, chest tightness, breathlessness, or dizziness that prevent safe attendance at work.
Inability to focus, racing thoughts, or decision-making difficulties that significantly reduce work capacity.
Severe insomnia or hyperarousal preventing restorative sleep, resulting in fatigue that makes work unsafe or unmanageable.
Anxiety so severe it prevents leaving the house, commuting, or entering the workplace environment.
Severe anxiety responses specifically triggered by work — meetings, interactions, deadlines, or the work environment itself.
Headaches, nausea, chest pain, muscle tension, or gastrointestinal symptoms directly caused by anxiety.
Your Legal Rights — Anxiety and Sick Leave
Key protections under UK employment law
Statutory Sick Pay (SSP): SSP is payable from your first day of certified absence, with no waiting days, at £123.25 per week for up to 28 weeks. The lower earnings limit has been removed — all employees qualify regardless of their weekly earnings. Anxiety-related absence qualifies in exactly the same way as physical illness. See GOV.UK Statutory Sick Pay for full eligibility details.
Equality Act 2010: If your anxiety has had a substantial and long-term adverse effect on your daily activities lasting 12 months or more, it may meet the legal definition of a disability — giving you additional protection against discrimination and entitlement to reasonable workplace adjustments. The Equality and Human Rights Commission confirms that workplace-triggered anxiety can qualify as a disability under the Act even where symptoms are primarily experienced in work-related situations.
Health and Safety at Work Act 1974: Employers have a statutory duty to protect the health, safety, and welfare of employees — this explicitly includes mental health. Where workplace conditions are causing or worsening your anxiety, your employer has a legal obligation to address this.
Employment Rights Act 1996: You cannot be dismissed solely for taking legitimate certified sick leave, including for anxiety. Dismissal in these circumstances may constitute unfair dismissal.
Confidentiality: Your employer cannot contact your doctor without your explicit written consent. Beyond what appears on the sick note itself, you are not required to disclose the details of your condition.
Returning to Work — Reasonable Adjustments for Anxiety
A sick note can include recommendations for workplace adjustments to support your return. If your anxiety meets the Equality Act disability threshold, your employer has a legal duty to consider reasonable adjustments. Even where it does not, employers have a general duty of care to support a safe return. ACAS guidance sets out examples of adjustments commonly made for anxiety:
If you need formal documentation of recommended workplace modifications upon your return, a work adjustment certificate provides a more detailed clinical basis for adjustment requests than a standard sick note.
Anxiety Sick Note FAQs
Most approved same day | Full refund if we cannot issue
Legislation and Guidance Referenced
The legal and employment information on this page is drawn from the following authoritative UK sources:
📚 Referenced sources
- 💰 Statutory Sick Pay — GOV.UK: current rate £123.25/week, payable from day one of absence, lower earnings limit removed. gov.uk/statutory-sick-pay
- ⚖️ Equality Act 2010 — GOV.UK: mental health and disability definition; employer duty to make reasonable adjustments. gov.uk/equality-act-2010-guidance
- 🏛️ Equality and Human Rights Commission: guidance on mental health as a protected characteristic and disability under the Equality Act. equalityhumanrights.com
- 💼 ACAS — mental health and the workplace: guidance on employer obligations, reasonable adjustments, and managing mental health absence sensitively. acas.org.uk/supporting-mental-health-workplace
- 📋 Fit notes — GOV.UK: employer obligations when receiving fit notes from registered healthcare professionals. gov.uk/government/collections/fit-note
- 🩺 General Medical Council (GMC): registers and regulates all doctors practising in the UK. All MedicalCert reviewing GPs hold active GMC registration. gmc-uk.org
