When and why do I need a health insurance certificate?
Nausea, stomach pain, headache, or a cold. No matter what symptoms are expressed, an illness often only becomes noticeable in the morning when you wake up. A nasty surprise, not only for you, but also for your employer. This is because he will not find out about your absence at the earliest when you start work and must come to terms with it. So it's no wonder that many bosses insist on a health insurance certificate. But there are precise legal regulations for both employees and employers.
- If you cannot go to work due to illness, you as an employee are obliged to inform your boss immediately. It does not matter whether or not you have already seen a doctor at this point in time. In any case, you must make sure that you are aware of your absence at the latest when you start working. You must also state the likely duration of the incapacity for work, especially if you already know here that it is a long-term one illness acts.
- If your illness lasts longer than three calendar days, you must present a health insurance certificate, the so-called certificate of incapacity for work (AUB), on the following day at the latest. But watch out: the employer can request such a medical certificate from the first day of illness. It depends on what is in the employment contract or which internal agreement applies.
- You must also pay attention to any reductions in special allowances in the event of illness. The employer is entitled to deduct up to a quarter of the annual average daily earnings per day of illness, for example from the Christmas bonus. However, only if this regulation is expressly stated in the employment or collective agreement or is listed in company agreements. The best thing to do is to clarify this when you start work.
- In the event that you are still not healthy after the days noted in the certificate have expired, you must immediately obtain another certificate from the doctor and present it to your employer.
- If you fail to submit a certificate of incapacity for work contrary to the statutory deadline or the contractual agreement, your boss may refuse to continue paying your salary. If you repeatedly fail to provide a certificate in the event of illness, you can even be terminated for behavioral reasons.
- In order to avoid anger and not endanger the working atmosphere, it is generally advisable to present a medical certificate at the beginning of an illness. This way, nobody can accuse you of 'celebrating sick leave' later and you don't easily forget the mandatory deadline for submitting the health insurance certificate.
- And should you just need a break, it is better to take a day off, because no boss likes to see his employees sick - regardless of whether with or without a medical certificate. Stay healthy!
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