The date of entry into force of the provisions introducing mandatory electronic sick leave certificates has been postponed again. Currently, doctors can issue sick leave both in paper and electronic form. Issuing paper sick leave certificates will be possible only until 30 November  2018 – subsequently,  the sick leave  certificates will have to be issued in electronic form only.

The reform of the rules on the issuing of sick leaves certificates aims to improve the process of justifying the absence of an employee from work. According to the new rules, the employer – as a social security contributions payer – can review the electronic sick leave certificates on its profile in the ZUS Electronic Services Platform (ESP). The sick leaves certificates are registered in the system immediately after they have been issued, which in practice is a significant improvement for employees who are no longer be obliged to deliver sick leave certificates in paper form to an employer that is registered on the ZUS ESP.