Employer sick-note rules · 32 employers, sourced
Does your employer accept an online doctor’s note?
How absences are tracked, when a note is required, where to submit it, and what the company says about online notes. Every page cites its sources and says how sure we are.
The employer registry
Where do you work?
Retail
- AutoZonePer the Bradley opinion, a doctor's note is what keeps a properly reported sick day from earning a point; the opinion does not say how…Published reporting
- Best BuyColorado policy (official): documentation may be required only after more than 3 consecutive days of sick leave; a signed personal…Published reporting
- CostcoA doctor's certificate 'may be required' only 'in the case of excessive absenteeism.' A note alone does not erase an occasion; using paid…Company policy
- H-E-BWorkers told the San Antonio Report they still received points after providing doctor's notes; H-E-B said each situation is evaluated individually.Published reporting
- KrogerVaries by store/contract; a widely shared May 2026 image claiming doctor's notes no longer excuse call-outs was called fake by Kroger.Published reporting
- Lowe'sEmployee-reported: a note alone does not excuse an occurrence; covering the shift with accrued sick time or an approved Sedgwick leave or accommodation does.Published reporting
- TargetTarget's guide sets no doctor's-note rule for sick calls.Published reporting
- WalmartA doctor's note by itself does not remove a point.Company policy
- Whole Foods MarketConflicting employee reports: one 2021 answer says a doctor's note prevents a point; a 2024 answer from Bay Area stores says two points per…Published reporting
Restaurants
- ChipotleChipotle's published process for a sick call is a report to your manager followed, for contagious symptoms, by a nurse consultation (Zero Hour Health).Published reporting
- Panera BreadHamra: doctor's note required to return after calling in 3 or more days.Published reporting
- StarbucksOfficial benefits pages do not require a doctor's note to use sick time.Published reporting
- Taco BellFranchisee handbook: 'When you return to work, you must give your Manager a doctor's note' stating the medical reason and dates unable to…Published reporting
- Wendy'sHamra: 'If you call in for three or more days, we require a doctor's note for you to return.'Published reporting
Warehouse
- AmazonNone of the public sources we found say a doctor's note restores UPT or excuses a single missed shift, and using UPT itself requires no note (secondary guides).Published reporting
Logistics and delivery
- FedExThe handbook does not set a note rule; it says habitual unscheduled absence is disciplinable 'unless covered by law.' Secondary sources say…Published reporting
- UPSThe Local 776 contract says UPS may require medical certification for FMLA leave.Published reporting
- USPS3 days or less: the employee's own statement may be accepted unless on restricted sick leave or the supervisor 'deems documentation…Company policy
Manufacturing
- BoeingMedically Documented Absence (MDA): documentation must reach Leave Services within 10 calendar days of return to work; same-day medical…Published reporting
- General MotorsA doctor's note does not remove an instance; only approved FMLA/leave (certified through Sedgwick) or contract-excused reasons do.Company policy
- JBS USAAt Greeley, points could be recouped only with a doctor's note AND a call to the English-only attendance hotline; JBS said it did not…Published reporting
- StellantisJanuary 2023 plant letters ended excused planned medical appointments; since February 2024 the no-fault procedure also points absences for…Published reporting
- TeslaNo source we could open states that a doctor's note removes Tesla attendance points.Employee reports
- Tyson FoodsNo opened source states a Tyson doctor's-note rule.Employee reports
Airlines
- Southwest AirlinesFlight attendants may use one doctor's note OR one Personal Illness Note (PIN, self-certified, up to 7 days) per calendar quarter to excuse…Company policy
- United AirlinesA physician's note is optional and only reduces a sick call by 0.5 point; it must show date of illness, exam date, return-to-work date and…Company policy
Healthcare
- HCA HealthcareOfficial LOA policy: 'Simply calling in sick without providing more information is not sufficient notification of the need for FMLA leave';…Published reporting
- Kaiser PermanenteThe standard never mentions doctor's notes, so a note does not remove an occurrence under it.Published reporting
Gig work
Other employers
- Disney parksA note is not required to call out and does not by itself excuse missed time; 'the Company may request supporting documentation from their…Company policy
Call center
- VerizonNot found in an official document; under the settlement, disability-related absences must be considered for accommodation rather than automatically charged.Employee reports
What HR sees
What a SickSlip note shows your employer
The physician’s name and NPI number, the dates you are excused, a document ID, and a verification link HR can open without calling anyone. It does not include your diagnosis. Whether an employer accepts it depends on its own rule, not on where the physician saw you: no US state law limits a sick note to in-person visits, and the federal telehealth rules are on telehealth.hhs.gov. Twenty states and the District of Columbia also limit when any employer may demand a note: see the state-by-state doctor’s note law index.
Need the note itself?
A licensed physician reviews your case online. Your HR can verify it at sickslip.co/verify.
Facts checked 2026-09-23.