Do I need an SC2 or a fit note?

For 7 days off or less, you self-certify and do not need a fit note. For more than 7 days in a row, including non-working days, your employer can ask for a fit note. You can use the SC2 alongside a fit note too.

Can my employer insist on its own form?

Not just to tell them you are sick. GOV.UK’s employer guide says an employer cannot insist you tell them in person or on a special form. Your contract may still set out how to report sickness, so check it.

Does the SC2 need a signature?

The PDF version has a ‘Your signature’ box with a date. GOV.UK does not say whether the online version is signed.

What if my employer says I cannot get SSP?

If you do not qualify, your employer must send you form SSP1 within 7 days of your first day off sick. Talk to your employer first. If that does not resolve it, you can contact HMRC’s Statutory Payment Disputes Team.

Fill in the SC2 self-certification form

The SC2 form, the ‘Employee’s statement of sickness’, is how you tell your employer in writing that you have been off sick and ask for Statutory Sick Pay (SSP). You can use it to self-certify a short absence or alongside a fit note. It goes to your employer, not to HMRC.

Off work for 7 days or less? You do not need a fit note. Your employer can still ask you to confirm you were ill when you get back. That is self-certification, and the SC2 is HMRC’s form for it.

HMRC now runs the SC2 as an online form that needs a sign-in. Many employers still hand out the PDF version, or their own sickness form. If yours sent a PDF, type straight onto it in PDFpad, sign it and send it back without printing.

Open your copy of the form

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Ask your employer for Statutory Sick Pay (SC2) on GOV.UK

Filling it in, section by section

About you: Surname or family name, first name(s), title, National Insurance number and date of birth. Dates use DD MM YYYY boxes, one digit per box. Use the name your employer has on payroll.
Clock or payroll number: Copy it from a payslip. It helps payroll match the form to you quickly. The online version asks for it too.
About your sickness. Please give brief details: A short, plain description is enough. This is a statement for your employer, not a medical record.
What date did your sickness begin? / What date did your sickness end?: The first and last days you were ill. The form says these can be days you do not normally work. If you do not know the end date yet, leave it blank.
What date did you last work before your sickness began? / What time did you finish work on that date?: Your last working day, and your finishing time in the 24-hour clock, so 5.30pm is 17:30.
Was your sickness caused by an accident at work or an industrial disease?: Tick No or Yes. If Yes, the form points you towards Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit.
Your signature: Signature, date and phone number. You can draw your signature on screen and keep the finished file on your device.

Filling it in neatly

Check your employment contract first. GOV.UK says to follow any sickness procedure you have agreed with your employer.
Give the form to your employer. HMRC does not need a copy.
Keep a copy for yourself. GOV.UK and the form both say so.
If you are off for more than 7 days in a row, counting weekends and bank holidays, you will need a fit note as well.

Common mistakes

Following the old PDF’s line about being sick for ‘four days or more’. Since 6 April 2026 you need to be off sick for at least one full working day to be eligible for SSP.
Sending it to HMRC. It goes to your employer, who uses it to check whether you can get SSP.
Waiting too long to tell your employer. If they have not set a deadline, the usual limit is 7 days, and you could lose some SSP for days you were late.
Guessing an end date while you are still ill. The form says to leave that box blank if you do not know.

Also searched as: SC2 form, self certification form, self-certification sick form, employee’s statement of sickness, SSP self-certification form, sick pay form SC2. This is a UK form.

Questions

Do I need an SC2 or a fit note?: For 7 days off or less, you self-certify and do not need a fit note. For more than 7 days in a row, including non-working days, your employer can ask for a fit note. You can use the SC2 alongside a fit note too.
Can my employer insist on its own form?: Not just to tell them you are sick. GOV.UK’s employer guide says an employer cannot insist you tell them in person or on a special form. Your contract may still set out how to report sickness, so check it.
Does the SC2 need a signature?: The PDF version has a ‘Your signature’ box with a date. GOV.UK does not say whether the online version is signed.
What if my employer says I cannot get SSP?: If you do not qualify, your employer must send you form SSP1 within 7 days of your first day off sick. Talk to your employer first. If that does not resolve it, you can contact HMRC’s Statutory Payment Disputes Team.