Employer sick-note rules · logistics
Does USPS accept an online doctor’s note?
USPS has the clearest rule on this list. For three days or less your own statement is usually accepted. For more than three days, medical documentation is required, and it must state that you were unable to work on those dates. A note that only says you were seen is not enough.
What USPS workers are told
Absences tracked
Federal ELM rules, not points: supervisors approve/disapprove sick leave on PS Form 3971; employees with a pattern may be placed on 'restricted sick leave' requiring documentation for every absence.
Note required
3 days or less: the employee's own statement may be accepted unless on restricted sick leave or the supervisor 'deems documentation desirable.' More than 3 days: medical documentation or other acceptable evidence of incapacity is required. Documentation must explain the illness enough to show incapacity; 'under my care' or 'received treatment' is not acceptable; the documentation must explain the illness enough to show incapacity for the dates; ELM 513.364 does not use the word 'diagnosis'.
Where to submit
Report unscheduled leave through eLRA on LiteBlue, or call the Interactive Voice Response line at 877-477-3273 and select option 4; submit PS Form 3971 and documentation to the supervisor.
Paid sick time
Career employees accrue 4 hours sick leave per pay period (13 days/year); Career employees accrue 4 hours of sick leave per pay period (13 days a year; part-time career employees 1 hour per 20 paid hours). CCAs earn annual leave, not sick leave, at 1 hour per 20 paid hours and use it for illness; PSE and MHA rules are in their union contracts.
Verified against the company’s own published policy · 2026-09-23
What a SickSlip note shows USPS HR
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 USPS accepts it depends on the rule above, 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.
Your state may limit what USPS can demand
Twenty states and the District of Columbia have a paid-sick-leave law, and most of them only let an employer ask for a note after three consecutive days. Company policy cannot override that. Check yours in the state-by-state doctor’s note law index.
Sources, read 2026-09-23
The rules that sit above USPS’s policy
- Federal leave (FMLA). An employer may require medical certification for a serious health condition, and must give you at least 15 calendar days to return it. 29 CFR 825.305 and U.S. Department of Labor Fact Sheet 28G.
- Disability (ADA). Points systems applied to disability-related absences have been challenged; medical inquiries must be job-related and consistent with business necessity. EEOC enforcement guidance.
- State paid-sick-leave law. Twenty states and D.C. limit when any employer, USPS included, may demand a note. Every state’s rule, with the statute.
- Telehealth. Federal guidance treats secure messaging with a licensed provider as telehealth; no state law limits a sick note to in-person visits. telehealth.hhs.gov.
Other logistics employers
UPS · FedEx
All employers
Amazon · Walmart · Target · UPS · FedEx · Starbucks · Lowe's · Costco · Kroger · Chipotle · Tesla · Disney parks · Southwest Airlines · United Airlines · Best Buy · H-E-B · Whole Foods Market · Taco Bell · Wendy's · Panera Bread · HCA Healthcare · Kaiser Permanente · Verizon · Tyson Foods · JBS USA · General Motors · Stellantis · Boeing · Uber · DoorDash · AutoZone
SickSlip is not affiliated with USPS. Employer names are used to describe their published policies. Reviewed by Adam Z. Kawalek, MD (NPI 1326223306). Facts checked 2026-09-23.