Sick leave is legislated in every jurisdiction, but it can be one of the most confusing aspects of Employment Standards. How many days is an employee entitled to? Are they paid or unpaid? Can you request a doctor’s note?
Select your province or territory below to learn more about sick time in your jurisdiction.
After 90 days of employment, employees are entitled to up to 5 paid sick days and 3 unpaid days.
Sick leave does not carry over from year to year. Employers must keep track of absences.
An employee should inform their employer as soon as they can if they are unable to work due to illness or injury.
Employers can ask for reasonably sufficient proof that an employee is entitled to the leave. Reasonable depends on the situation. Take into account:
More information on the government website.
Called personal and family responsibility leave.
After 90 days of employment, employees are entitled to 5 days of unpaid leave for health issues or family needs.
The leave days do not carry over.
The employee must inform the employer as soon as they can if they need to take leave. Proof is not required under the law; however, employers can establish their own policy.
More information on the government website.
After 13 consecutive weeks of employment, employees are entitled to unpaid, job-protected sick leave:
The employer may require a medical note as proof of illness/injury.
More information on the government website.
Known as Family Leave.
After 30 days of employment, employees are entitled to 3 unpaid days per year of Family Leave.
The leave can be taken to deal with a personal illness or the needs of a family member.
The days do not carry over into the next year.
The employer may request reasonable verification that the leave was necessary.
More information on the government website.
After 2 consecutive weeks of employment, an employee is entitled to up to 3 days of unpaid sick leave per year.
The leave cannot be carried over into the following year.
Employers are prohibited from requiring employees to provide a certificate from a qualified health practitioner. However, they can request proof that is “reasonable in the circumstances” that the employee is eligible for the sick leave.
More information on the government website.
After 3 months of employment, an employee is entitled to 2 days of paid sick leave per calendar year.
The leave cannot be carried over into the following year.
A medical note is not mandatory, but employers may request official documentation if the circumstances warrant it – frequency or length of absences, for example. Note: the employer cannot request documentation for the first 3 leaves of 3 consecutive days or less in a 12-month period.
More information on the government website.
After 90 days of employment, an employee is entitled to up to 5 days of unpaid sick leave during a 12-month period.
A medical note can only be requested if the leave is four or more consecutive days.
More information on the government website.
After 3 months of employment, an employee is entitled to an unpaid sick leave of up to 3 days during a calendar year.
After 12 months of employment, an employee is entitled to 1 paid sick day plus 3 unpaid days.
After 24 months an employee is entitled to 2 paid days plus 3 unpaid days of leave.
After 36 months of employment, an employee is entitled to 3 paid days of sick leave, plus 3 unpaid days.
Paid sick days do not carry forward into the following year.
If a leave is for 3 consecutive days or more, the employer may request proof from a medical practitioner that the leave was needed.
When taking sick leave, the employee is entitled to take the paid days first before the unpaid days.
More information on the government website.
An employee is entitled to up to 5 days of unpaid leave per year if the leave is due to the employee’s illness/injury.
An employee is entitled to up to 3 days of unpaid leave per year, if the leave is due to the illness/injury of a family member, or for medical/dental appointments.
The leave cannot be carried over into the following year.
Employers may only request medical proof if the employee:
More information on the government website.
After 30 days of employment, an employee is entitled to 7 unpaid days of sick or family responsibility leave per year.
An employee is not required to provide medical documentation for sick leave; however, an employer can request it.
If taking family responsibility leave of 3 consecutive days or more, the employee must provide a written statement indicating the nature of the family responsibility.
The leave cannot be carried over into the following year.
More information on the government site.
After 30 days of employment, an employee is entitled to 5 unpaid days sick leave per year.
An employee must provide medical documentation if the leave is more than 3 consecutive days.
The leave cannot be carried over into the following year.
More information on the government website.
An employee is entitled to one unpaid day of sick leave for every month they have worked, up to a maximum of 12 days.
An employer may require medical documentation as evidence of the need for the leave.More information on the government website.
After 30 days of continuous employment, an employee is entitled to 3 paid days of medical leave.
After receiving their first 3 days, an employee is entitled to earn 1 further day at the start of each month after completing 1 month of continuous service, up to a maximum of 10 days per year.
Any paid days an employee does not take, can be carried over to the beginning of the next year, up to a maximum of 10 days. The unused days will count towards the maximum of 10 days you can earn during the year.
An employer may request a medical note if a medical leave of absence is 5 days or longer.
More information on the government website.