What should a medical certificate include? A checklist for employers and staff

A medical certificate is only useful if it says the right things. For staff, that means knowing what to check before you submit one. For employers, it means knowing what a valid certificate looks like, what you're entitled to ask for — and what you're not.

This checklist covers the must-have details on an Australian medical certificate, what it should not include, and how both sides can handle certificates with confidence.

The Essential Checklist

A valid Australian medical certificate should include:

• ✅ The practitioner's full name and their AHPRA registration (a doctor must be AHPRA-registered; other registered health practitioners may issue certificates in some contexts)
• ✅ The practice name and contact details — so the certificate can be verified
• ✅ The date the certificate was issued (the date of the consultation)
• ✅ The patient's name — matching the person who attended the consult
• ✅ The date(s) the person is unfit for work — covering the specific period claimed
• ✅ A clear statement of unfitness for work — "this person is unfit for work" or "was unfit to attend on [date]"
• ✅ A signature (handwritten or verified digital issue)

If a certificate is missing the unfitness dates or the fitness statement, it doesn't do its job — most employers (and universities) will ask for it to be reissued.

What a Medical Certificate Should NOT Include

This surprises a lot of people on both sides of the conversation:

• ❌ Your diagnosis — a certificate confirms you were unfit for work, not why
• ❌ Clinical details, test results or treatment notes
• ❌ Sensitive health information such as mental health details, pregnancy or an STI

Privacy principles in Australia support certificates that limit disclosure to fitness for work. If a certificate includes a diagnosis you'd rather not share, you can ask your doctor to reissue it with the illness details removed. Employers who demand a diagnosis in order to "approve" sick leave are overreaching — the test is whether the employee was unfit, not what they had.

For Employers: What You Can (and Can't) Do

You can:

• Require evidence that would satisfy a reasonable person for personal/carer's leave (a medical certificate or statutory declaration, subject to the award or agreement)
• Verify a certificate's authenticity — contacting the issuing practice to confirm the certificate is genuine is reasonable, particularly if something looks off
• Apply your evidence policy consistently across the team — inconsistent enforcement is where unfair work claims begin
• Keep the certificate on file as a leave record

You can't:

• Demand a diagnosis or clinical details
• Require a certificate for every single absence if that's unreasonable in the circumstances (evidence rules under the Fair Work Act require reasonableness)
• Insist an employee attends a specific doctor or pays for a company-chosen assessment without proper process
• Reject a telehealth-issued certificate simply because the consult was online — certificates from AHPRA-registered doctors via telehealth carry the same standing as clinic-issued ones

For Staff: Before You Submit, Check

Run through this 60-second check before sending your certificate to HR:

1. Are the dates right? The unfitness period must cover your absence — not just the consult date
2. Is your name spelled correctly and matching your employment records?
3. Does it state you were unfit for work? If it only mentions a consultation, ask the clinic to reissue
4. Is the practitioner identifiable? Name, registration and practice contact details present
5. Is it the original document? Send the digital PDF or clear photo of the original — never an edited copy

And if you're getting the certificate online: book early in the day, have your ID handy for the consult, and ask the doctor to confirm the exact dates you need covered before the certificate is issued.

Red Flags of a Fake Certificate

Employers occasionally receive certificates that don't hold up. Warning signs include:

• Missing registration number, practice details or contact information
• No specific dates of unfitness, or dates that don't match the claimed absence
• Spelling errors, inconsistent fonts, or a copied-and-pasted look
• A certificate issued the same day for a week-long absence with no consultation history
• Refusal by the "practice" to confirm the certificate when contacted

If you suspect a certificate is fake, contact the issuing practice to verify it, and follow your internal process before taking any action — don't accuse first. Falsifying a medical certificate is a serious matter that can constitute misconduct and, in some cases, fraud.

How Telehealth Certificates Fit In

Telehealth medical certificates are fully valid in Australia when issued by an AHPRA-registered doctor after a genuine consultation. A well-issued telehealth certificate contains everything on the checklist above — practitioner name and registration, consultation date, unfitness period, fitness statement and practice details — and is delivered digitally by email or SMS.

For unwell people, this is the practical win: no waiting room, no commute while you're sick, and the certificate lands in your inbox the same day. See how telehealth medical certificates work in Australia, or the full guide to getting a medical certificate online.