A carer's leave certificate is evidence that you took time off work to care for or support a member of your immediate family or household who was ill, injured or affected by an unexpected emergency. It's written in your name, because the leave is yours, and it says the person needed you without naming their condition. Your employer can ask for evidence even for a single day, so a carer's leave certificate from a GP or another registered practitioner is the usual proof.
Key takeaways
- It's issued in your name and confirms that someone close to you needed your care or support.
- Paid carer's leave comes out of your personal leave: 10 days a year for full-time employees, pro rata for part-time.
- Casuals, and anyone whose paid balance has run out, can take two days of unpaid carer's leave each time.
- Evidence only has to satisfy a reasonable person, and a statutory declaration can sometimes do.
The Purpose of a Carer's Leave Certificate
The purpose of a carer's leave certificate is to show your employer that your leave was genuine: someone in your immediate family or household needed you because of illness, injury or an emergency. Anyone who needs carer's leave and is asked for proof may need one. You can get it from a GP or another registered practitioner, in person or by phone, and some workplace policies call it a care leave certificate.
| Reason for your leave | Who needs your care | Evidence that usually suits |
|---|---|---|
| Illness | A partner, parent or other relative who is unwell | A certificate from a GP who has heard what care was needed |
| Injury | A family member hurt at home, at work or in an accident | A certificate from the practitioner treating them, or from your GP |
| A sick child | Your child, who should see a GP in person | Evidence in your name from the child's GP, written at that visit |
| Unexpected emergency | Someone whose usual care falls through, such as when a school closes suddenly | Often a statutory declaration, because nobody was unwell |
Carer's leave for a sick child works the same way: the evidence is yours, and the child is best seen by their own GP in person. To apply for carer's leave, tell your employer as soon as you can, even once the leave has started, and say how long you expect to be away.
Details That Make Carer's Evidence Genuine
A genuine carer's leave certificate names you, says that a family member or someone you live with needed your care or support, and gives the dates you were needed. It carries the practitioner's name, registration number and signature and the date it was written, and it doesn't need to name anyone's diagnosis. A carer's certificate online is held to the same standard as one written in a clinic: the doctor needs a genuine basis in what you report. Check your workplace policy for anything more it asks for, and see whether online medical certificates are valid for work.
Family Emergencies That Call You Away From Work
Carer's leave covers sudden events as well as illness: a parent's fall, a partner's unexpected surgery, a child's school closing without warning, or a support worker who doesn't arrive. When the person was ill or hurt, a carer's medical certificate is the usual evidence, and a carer's leave certificate written after a genuine phone consult is valid evidence too. When nobody was unwell, there's nothing for a doctor to assess, so a statutory declaration usually suits better than a carer's certificate. Either way, tell your workplace as soon as you can. Compassionate leave is separate again: two days each time a close family or household member dies or has a life-threatening illness or injury.
Registered Practitioners Who Can Provide Caring Evidence
The Fair Work Ombudsman counts a medical certificate from any registered health practitioner as evidence, and that reaches well beyond doctors. A GP is the usual choice, but a nurse practitioner, psychologist, physiotherapist or dentist can also give evidence about care within their own field. Each practitioner must be registered with AHPRA, and you can check any practitioner on AHPRA's public register. The practitioner treating the person you cared for is often best placed to write it, because they know what care was needed. Pharmacists can also write an absence from work certificate, so check whether your employer accepts one for carer's leave.
Assessing the Family Member Who Needs Your Care
To write a carer's certificate online or in person, the doctor needs to understand who the person is, what's wrong, what care they needed from you and for how long. With Medio, you answer a short questionnaire with the details of the person you're caring for and why care was needed; an AHPRA-registered doctor reviews it, phones you if anything needs clarifying, and decides whether a carer's medical certificate is appropriate. If the person needs examining, the doctor will tell you and suggest they're seen in person, and for a longer stretch of caring the doctor may recommend a phone consultation instead. Whatever the doctor writes, it's a medical certificate that tells your employer care was needed, not the diagnosis.
Preparing for Caring Duties Before an Emergency
A little preparation saves a scramble when someone in your household relies on you. Check your personal leave balance on your payslip, read your workplace policy on notice and evidence, and find out whether your employer asks for a medical certificate or accepts a statutory declaration. Keep a note of each person's GP and Medicare details. If your caring is ongoing, after 12 months in the job you can formally request flexible working arrangements, and Carer Gateway (1800 422 737) offers free support for carers.
Warning Signs Your Family Member Needs Urgent Care
Call 000 straight away if the person you're caring for has chest pain, trouble breathing, sudden weakness or slurred speech, a seizure, heavy bleeding, or is hard to wake. If they're in a mental health crisis and in danger, call 000, or call Lifeline on 13 11 14. For a sudden illness that isn't an emergency, a nurse on healthdirect (1800 022 222, or 13 HEALTH in Queensland) can help you decide what to do. Work can wait: get the person safe first, tell your employer when you can, and sort out the evidence afterwards.
Summary
A carer's leave certificate is your evidence that someone close to you genuinely needed your care, written in your name and without their diagnosis. A Medio GP can assess the need by phone or through a short questionnaire and, where the doctor finds it right, write a carer's leave certificate; see how a medical certificate from Medio works.
Frequently asked questions
What counts as personal carer's leave?
Personal carer's leave counts when you need to care for or support a member of your immediate family or household because of illness, injury or an unexpected emergency. Immediate family means a partner or former partner, child, parent, grandparent, grandchild or sibling, or any of these relatives of your partner. Mental health counts too: caring for someone through a mental health crisis is carer's leave like any other.
Where can I get a carer's certificate?
You can get one from a GP or another registered health practitioner who can assess the need for your care. You might need it whenever your employer asks for evidence, even for one day. If you're a carer who can't leave the person you're looking after, Medio's doctors issue carer's leave certificates for an immediate family or household member through a short $19 questionnaire, and phone you if they need to know more.
Can a doctor help with carer's leave certificate?
Yes, a doctor can write one when they're satisfied the person you care for needed you. They'll ask who the person is, what happened, what care you gave and on which dates. The doctor decides whether a certificate is appropriate and what dates it can cover, and paying for a consultation doesn't mean you'll get one. If a Medio doctor issues a certificate for your carer's leave, you will receive it by email as a PDF.
What proof do I need for carer's leave?
The proof you need for carer's leave is whatever would satisfy a reasonable person that the leave was genuine. Usually that's a certificate from a registered practitioner or a statutory declaration, and your award, agreement or workplace policy may say which. Your employer will generally accept a certificate for carer's leave from a registered practitioner, whether the consult was in person or by phone.
How do I apply for carer's leave?
You apply for carer's leave by telling your employer as soon as you reasonably can, which may be after the leave has started, and saying how long you expect to be away. Give evidence if you're asked for it. Paid carer's leave can last as long as your personal leave balance does; once it runs out, or if you're casual, you can take two days unpaid each time someone needs you.
Can an employer refuse carers' leave?
An employer can't refuse paid carer's leave you're entitled to when you've given notice and any evidence they asked for, and they can't treat you badly for taking it. If you don't give the notice or evidence asked for, you may not be paid for that leave. If you think your leave was wrongly refused, the Fair Work Ombudsman can help, free of charge.
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