The illness started on Friday. Does the weekend count towards egenmelding?

If you do not go to work on Friday and remain ill without interruption until Monday, this amounts to 4 calendar days. The weekend also counts even if you were off work. With the basic limit of 3 days of egenmelding, your employer may require a medical certificate from Monday. However, some companies have a longer limit.

Egenmelding is a notification to your employer that you cannot work because of your own illness or injury, without a doctor’s certificate. You can use it if you are entitled to do so and stay within the limit that applies at your company.

Let’s assume that you work from Monday to Friday. On Friday, illness keeps you at home and continues throughout the weekend and Monday. You then count: Friday — day 1, Saturday — day 2, Sunday — day 3, Monday — day 4. Days off do not stop the clock.

This example concerns continuous illness. Simply staying at home on Friday does not mean that you were also ill throughout the weekend. What matters is how long you were actually unable to work.

The basic rule is up to 3 consecutive calendar days, up to 4 times within 12 months. As explained by the Norwegian Directorate of Health, Helsedirektoratet, this refers to a 12-month period, not a new allowance starting on 1 January.

At many companies, you can use egenmelding for up to 8 consecutive days and a total of up to 24 days within 12 months. The employer may also allow a longer period, even the entire first 16 days of sick leave for which it is responsible. Therefore, illness from Friday to Monday may require a medical certificate at one company, while at another it may still fall within the egenmelding limit.

Ask your manager or HR which rules apply to you. Egenmelding covers full days of absence. Leaving work halfway through a shift does not automatically count as a full day used from the limit.

Returning to work does not always give you a new limit. If you fall ill again within 16 calendar days of returning, previous days of egenmelding are included when determining how many days you can still use. This rule is described by the official Altinn portal.

According to NAV, as a general rule, you must have worked for the employer for at least 2 months. After a break in employment lasting more than 2 weeks, you may need to work another 2 months before becoming eligible again. This applies, among others, to on-call workers; the details depend on the reason for the break.

Egenmelding is used during the first 16 days of sick leave, for which the employer is responsible. The company determines how it must be reported and may ask for written confirmation after you return.

Report your illness to your employer as soon as possible, on the first day of absence, in accordance with your company’s rules. If you are still unable to work on Monday and the 3-day limit applies to you, contact a clinic about a medical certificate (sykmelding) and inform your employer about your continued absence.

Do not assume that a doctor will issue a certificate retrospectively. Helsedirektoratet notes that merely not understanding the egenmelding rules is not enough — documentation confirming the illness at the relevant time is required.