Retrospective medical certificate requests
Understand the difference between a reported illness period and the date of clinical assessment.
PingMeDoc service guide · Updated 23 September 2026
Record the real chronology
Tell the clinician when symptoms started, when you were unable to perform your duties, when you sought care and when you recovered. The assessment and issue dates describe what actually happened; requesting an earlier illness period does not authorize changing those dates.
Provide contemporaneous evidence
Share available consultation notes, prescriptions, test reports or discharge records from the relevant period. Explain any missing evidence and previous treatment. The clinician assesses what the records and history can support; providing a requested date alone is insufficient.
Separate your request from the conclusion
An employer or college may ask for a certificate covering a specific interval. Include their instructions, but the doctor determines the supported period and wording. The clinician may request more information or decline to certify a past interval they cannot assess.
Choose the appropriate next step
Use sick leave when seeking an opinion about an illness-related absence. Use recovery when the question is whether you can resume duties after illness. Check recipient requirements and the refund terms before payment; no package guarantees that past dates will be certified.