How to get stress leave

How do you apply for stress leave?

There's no separate application. Stress leave is paid sick leave, and Fair Work says sick leave can be used for stress ^[2]. Here's the usual order of things.

1. See a GP early. Ideally on the first day you're off, or before you reach the point of not coping. A GP can assess you, start treatment if it's right for you and, if they're satisfied you're unfit for work, give you a certificate.
2. Tell your employer as soon as possible. This can be after your leave has started. Say how long you expect to be off ^[1].
3. Give evidence if asked. Your employer can ask for evidence even for 1 day off. A medical certificate or statutory declaration is usually what's needed ^[1].
4. Do it promptly. One way to rely on the protection against dismissal for a temporary absence due to illness is to give a medical certificate or statutory declaration within 24 hours of the absence starting, or a longer period that's reasonable in the circumstances. Following your award or agreement's rules for notifying and backing up an absence, or giving evidence for paid sick leave when your employer asks, can also count ^[13].
5. Check your balance and your award or agreement. You can take as much paid sick leave as you've built up ^[2]. Some awards, agreements and workplace policies offer more.

Our main stress leave guide covers entitlements, pay and protections in more detail.

What should you say to your doctor about stress leave?

People often search for the "right thing to say" to get stress leave. There isn't a script, and you don't need one. What helps most is describing honestly and specifically what's been happening, so your GP can understand it and help.

A certificate has to reflect your GP's genuine clinical assessment. Doctors must only sign certificates they believe to be accurate ^[11], and should decline a certificate unless they're satisfied the illness or incapacity is genuine ^[10]. Exaggerating doesn't help you, and neither does downplaying things because you feel you should be coping.

It can help to jot down a few notes before your appointment:

• What you've noticed. Sleep changes, feeling on edge, low mood, tearfulness, irritability, trouble concentrating, headaches or a racing heart.
• How long it's been going on, and whether it's getting worse.
• How it's affecting work. Concrete examples are useful, like making mistakes, dreading your shift, being unable to switch off at night, or struggling to get through the day.
• How it's affecting the rest of your life, such as relationships, eating, exercise and drinking.
• What you think is driving it. Workload, a conflict, a change at work, problems at home, or a mix.
• What you've already tried, and what you'd like to change.

If you've had thoughts of harming yourself or that life isn't worth living, tell your GP. It's a normal question in a mental health assessment, and it helps them make sure you get the right support.

What will the GP ask and assess?

A good assessment is a conversation, not a checklist. At Mental Health Clinic, the first appointment is a GP mental health assessment of about an hour by video. Your GP will usually:

• ask what's been happening and how long it's been going on
• use standard questionnaires, such as the K10 (you can try our free mental health check beforehand)
• ask about sleep, alcohol and other substances, physical health and medications
• check on your safety
• consider whether a physical cause needs ruling out, which may mean blood tests
• talk about your work, including whether you're unfit for any work for now or could manage modified duties

You'll finish with a plan. That might include time off with a certificate if the GP thinks it's clinically appropriate, treatment, regular reviews, or a referral to a psychologist or psychiatrist. A GP may certify a limited period first and review you again if things are continuing ^[10]. If medication is an option, your GP will talk through the benefits and side effects. A consultation doesn't guarantee a prescription. Your GP decides what's clinically appropriate.

How do you tell your employer you need stress leave?

You need to tell your employer that you're taking sick leave and roughly how long you expect to be off ^[1]. You don't have to tell them your diagnosis. A general medical certificate shouldn't include one unless you agree ^[10][11].

A short message is enough:

Hi [manager], I'm unwell and won't be able to work for the rest of this week. I've seen my GP and will send through my medical certificate. I'll update you by [day] about when I expect to be back.

Taking sick leave is a protected workplace right, and your employer can't dismiss you or treat you badly for using it ^[4]. If you think stress is caused by your work, such as bullying, harassment or an unmanageable workload, you might also look at whether you have a workers compensation claim.

What helps recovery and return to work?

Time off can help, but the evidence suggests time off alone isn't the whole answer. What seems to help most is treatment combined with practical attention to work.

• Treatment plus a work focus. A 2020 Cochrane review of 45 studies with 12,109 people with depression found that combining a work-directed intervention with clinical treatment probably reduces sick leave in the first year, by about 25 days over a year (moderate-certainty evidence) ^[5]. It didn't change how many people were still off work after a year or more ^[5]. Psychological treatment on its own may also reduce sick days, though that evidence is low certainty ^[5].
• Contact with the workplace. A meta-analysis of 42 studies of workers on sick leave with common mental disorders found a small overall benefit from return-to-work interventions. There was strong evidence for interventions that included contact with the workplace and those with several components, and moderate evidence for graded return to work ^[6]. Interventions targeting stress did better than those targeting other conditions ^[6].
• Work-focused therapy. A meta-review found strong evidence that work-focused treatments, such as CBT-based and problem-focused return-to-work programs, improve symptoms, and moderate evidence that they improve work outcomes ^[7].
• Problem solving for stress-related conditions. A Cochrane review of adjustment disorders found that problem-solving therapy shortened the time to a partial return to work compared with usual care, by about 17 days at one year, but didn't significantly shorten the time to a full return ^[8].
• For burnout. A review of treatments for clinical burnout found they may help people return to work. Successful programs included advice from work experts and helped people start a conversation with their employer ^[9].

Good work can also be good for mental health, especially with good supervision and favourable workplace conditions ^[12]. That's one reason GPs often plan a return to work early, rather than leaving it until the leave runs out. If your stress has built up over months and you feel exhausted and detached, our burnout guide may help.

How do you return to work after stress leave?

Plan your return with your GP before your certificate ends. Things worth discussing:

• A graded return. Starting with fewer hours or days and building up. Graded return to work has moderate evidence behind it ^[6].
• Modified duties. Temporarily changing tasks, workload or contact with a particular person.
• A meeting with your manager or HR before you return, to agree on the plan and how you'll check in.
• The cause. If workload, a conflict or how you're managed was part of the problem, a return plan that doesn't address it is less likely to stick.

If you're still not well when your paid leave runs out, talk to your employer early. While you're using paid sick leave, you can't be dismissed because of the absence, however long it is ^[3]. Once your paid leave is used up, that protection generally ends after more than 3 consecutive months off, or more than 3 months in total over the last 12 months ^[3].

When to see a GP

If you're wondering whether you need stress leave, that's a good reason to see a GP. You don't need to be at breaking point, and you don't need to know what to say.

At Mental Health Clinic, you can see a GP by video from anywhere in Australia. Your first appointment is a full mental health assessment of about an hour. Your GP can start treatment if it's right for you, review you regularly, refer you to a psychologist or psychiatrist if needed, and issue a medical certificate where it's clinically appropriate. A certificate isn't automatic. Your GP decides based on the assessment. You can request an appointment.

If you're in crisis or thinking about suicide, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or 000 in an emergency.

This page is general information, not legal or medical advice.