Sick Note for Flu
Get documented for flu or viral illness, accepted by UK employers. Issued by a UK GP without leaving home.
When you have flu, the last thing you need is a GP waiting room. Get a signed sick note. No appointment needed.
✔ Covers flu, viral illness, respiratory infections and related symptoms.
✔ Accepted by most UK employers as absence documentation.
✔ Same day, or by 9am the next morning. £47.
✔ Full refund if we can't issue one.
GET MY FIT NOTE 
Accepted by most UK employers, universities and insurers, subject to their own policies. All consultations are subject to clinical assessment and certificates are issued only where clinically appropriate.
Ready to return? You may also need a fit to work certificate before your employer allows you back.
Get your medical certificate delivered straight to your inbox for £47
How It Works
Complete short online consult
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.
✔ Full refund if a certificate cannot be issued.
Receive your certificate
Most certificates are issued same day, almost all by 9AM the next morning. Delivered as a signed PDF. A doctor will email you if more evidence is needed.
Certificate security
Every MedicalCert certificate can be checked as genuine
Each certificate is issued with anti-tampering protection and its own verification reference. If your employer, university, airline or insurer wants to confirm the document came from a GMC-registered doctor, they can check it against MedicalCert records. Altered or copied documents do not pass that check.
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 Flu: Can You Get One?
Yes, but most people with flu will not need one. GOV.UK is explicit that employees off work for 7 days or less do not have to give their employer proof of sickness from a healthcare professional, and that count includes non-working days such as weekends and bank holidays. Only once an absence has run for more than 7 days in a row can your employer require evidence. If your flu absence passes that point, or your employer’s own policy asks for documentation sooner, a GMC-registered doctor can issue a private medical certificate online.
Yes: flu is a valid medical reason for a sick note
Influenza is a clinically recognised illness. A GMC-registered doctor can certify a flu-related absence in exactly the same way as any other illness, and there is nothing unusual about asking for one.
MedicalCert issues flu certificates same day, online, through GMC-registered UK doctors. No appointment, no waiting room, no need to leave the house when you are unwell. Check your employer’s absence policy first, because if you are back at work inside 7 days you may not need any certificate at all.
When Do You Need a Sick Note for Flu?
You need medical evidence for flu only after 7 calendar days off work. GOV.UK guidance is that employees off work for 7 days or less do not need to give their employer proof of sickness from a healthcare professional, and flu is treated the same as any other illness. Evidence can only be required once the absence has run for more than 7 days in a row, counting non-working days such as weekends and bank holidays. Source: GOV.UK, Taking sick leave, gov.uk/taking-sick-leave.
Days 1 to 7: self-certify
For the first 7 calendar days of any absence, including flu, you can self-certify. Tell your employer you are unwell. No proof from a healthcare professional is required, and if you recover inside this window you will not need a certificate at all.
Day 8 onwards: your employer can ask for evidence
If you are still unwell on day 8, your employer can ask for evidence of sickness from a healthcare professional. MedicalCert can issue a private medical certificate the same day, online, without a GP appointment.
Under 7 days: some employers request it anyway
Some employers have their own absence policies that ask for documentation for any absence, regardless of duration. If your employer has asked for a note for a short flu absence, a private certificate from MedicalCert is intended for exactly that situation. Acceptance is your employer’s decision, so check the policy before you buy.
Flu vs cold: does it matter for a sick note?
For absence purposes, no. Either can leave you unfit for work, and a doctor certifies incapacity rather than a label. Clinically the NHS separates them like this: flu appears quickly, within a few hours, affects more than just your nose and throat, and makes you feel exhausted and too unwell to carry on as normal. A cold appears gradually over 1 to 2 days, affects mainly your nose and throat, and leaves you unwell but still well enough to do your normal activities.
The NHS lists flu symptoms as a sudden high temperature, an aching body, feeling tired or exhausted, a dry cough, a sore throat, a headache, difficulty sleeping and loss of appetite. Source: NHS, Flu, nhs.uk/conditions/flu/.
How long you are infectious, and what treatment helps
The NHS says flu is very infectious and that you are more likely to give it to others in the first 5 days after getting infected, and that the germs from coughs and sneezes can live on hands and surfaces for 24 hours. Its advice is to try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people if you have a high temperature, feel hot, cold or shivery, or do not feel well enough to do your normal activities. The NHS does not set a fixed number of days to stay off work for flu. Source: NHS, Flu, nhs.uk/conditions/flu/.
Antibiotics do not work for viral infections such as flu, and the NHS states that GPs do not recommend them for flu. Antivirals are not a routine flu treatment either. UKHSA guidance, updated 23 January 2026, recommends no antiviral treatment for non-severe influenza in a previously healthy patient, and where antivirals are indicated the greatest benefit comes from starting them within 48 hours of illness onset. Source: UKHSA, Guidance on use of antiviral agents for the treatment and prophylaxis of seasonal influenza, gov.uk.
How Long Can You Be Signed Off Work with Flu?
A flu certificate covers only the days a doctor judges you unfit for work, typically the length of your symptoms. No evidence is needed for the first 7 calendar days because you self-certify. Beyond day 7 your employer can require written proof, and Statutory Sick Pay is payable for up to 28 weeks.
There is no fixed period for a flu absence and no legal maximum. The 7 day self-certification window means many flu absences need no certificate at all, and the question only arises once symptoms run past a full week.
If an absence runs beyond 4 weeks it is generally regarded as long-term sick leave, which usually prompts a conversation with your employer about support. Statutory Sick Pay is £123.25 a week and is paid from the first qualifying day of absence. Source: GOV.UK.
What Does a Flu Sick Note Include?
Certificate contents
- ✔Your full name, date of birth, and contact details
- ✔Diagnosis or clinical description, typically “influenza”, “upper respiratory tract infection” or “viral illness”
- ✔Certified period of absence, start and end date
- ✔“Not fit for work” assessment for the certified period
- ✔GMC registration number of the signing doctor
- ✔Unique QR code for employer verification
Sick Pay for Flu: What You Are Entitled To
From 6 April 2026, the Employment Rights Act 2025 changed SSP significantly. The three-day waiting period has been abolished, so SSP is payable from the first qualifying day of absence. GOV.UK states the rate as £123.25 a week or 80% of your normal weekly earnings, whichever is lower, paid for up to 28 weeks. The lower earnings limit has been removed, so employees no longer have to earn a minimum amount to qualify.
Previously, employees had to be off for four consecutive days before SSP applied, so a short flu absence attracted no SSP at all. GOV.UK now states that to qualify you must have been ill for at least one full working day, and that SSP is paid for all the full days you are off sick that you would normally have worked. No certificate is needed to claim it for an absence of 7 days or less. Source: GOV.UK, Statutory Sick Pay, gov.uk/statutory-sick-pay.
Your employer may also offer enhanced contractual sick pay above SSP, check your employment contract. SSP is the statutory minimum.
How to Get a Flu Sick Note Online: Same Day
When you have flu, the last thing you want is to sit in a GP waiting room or spend days trying to get an appointment. MedicalCert is fully online.
Complete the online consultation
Describe your symptoms, when they started, and how they are affecting your ability to work. For flu this typically includes high temperature, aching muscles, fatigue, headache, and respiratory symptoms. You do not need a positive test result, clinical assessment of your symptoms is sufficient.
GMC-registered doctor reviews your case
One of our GPs reviews your submission the same day and assesses whether the clinical picture supports issuing a certificate. If a certificate cannot be issued after clinical review, you receive a full refund automatically.
Certificate delivered to your inbox
Your signed certificate arrives same day (submit before 9pm) or by 9am the following morning. Forward directly to your employer or HR. The QR code allows instant verification without any follow-up call.
