Telling your employer you are sick in New Zealand: what you must say, what stays private

Written by Henry Smith · Reviewed by Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931) · Updated 2026-09-09 · Reviewed annually, or sooner if the rules it describes change.

New Zealand law requires you to tell your employer you need sick leave as soon as possible, but it does not require you to disclose a diagnosis: your employer can ask for confirmation you are unable to work, and the Privacy Act 2020 governs what it can then collect, store and use (Employment New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026; Employment New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026). This guide sets out exactly what you must say, and what stays private.

What you must tell your employer, and when

The core requirement is timing, not detail: tell your employer as soon as possible that you need sick leave.

Requirement	What NZ law actually says	Source
When to tell your employer	As soon as possible	Employment New Zealand
What you must disclose	That you are unable to work; not a diagnosis	Employment New Zealand
Proof under 3 days	Employer must ask ASAP and pay any cost	Employment New Zealand
Proof from 3+ days	Employer can ask; employee pays	Employment New Zealand
Choice of doctor	Employer cannot dictate which doctor or practice	Employment New Zealand
Data handling	Governed by the Privacy Act 2020	Employment New Zealand

(Employment New Zealand, taking sick leave and employee privacy, retrieved 9 September 2026.)

Do I have to tell my employer as soon as I know I am sick?

Yes. Employment New Zealand's guidance is that you should tell your employer as soon as possible if you need to take sick leave, so they can plan around your absence (Employment New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026). There is no published minimum notice period in hours; "as soon as possible" is the standard, and many employment agreements or workplace policies set out a specific process, such as calling before a shift starts.

Do I have to tell my employer what is actually wrong with me?

No. The statutory sick leave rules require confirmation that you are sick or injured and unable to work, usually through a medical certificate; they do not require you to disclose a diagnosis, symptoms, or any detail beyond that (Employment New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026).

Can my employer demand to know my diagnosis?

Not as a matter of statutory right. Employers must comply with the Privacy Act 2020 and its Information Privacy Principles when collecting, storing, using or sharing any personal information about you, including health information, and what an employer can ask should be set out in a workplace policy or your employment agreement (Employment New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026). In a medical incapacity situation specifically, you can refuse to give your employer access to your medical information unless your employment agreement requires it, and you can decline even then (Employment New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026); your employer then decides based only on the information it already has.

Proof, and who chooses the doctor

Can my employer choose which doctor I see?

No. Employment New Zealand is explicit that an employer cannot tell an employee which doctor or medical practice to use when it asks for proof of sickness or injury (Employment New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026). Full detail on medical certificates, including current published costs, is on medical certificate NZ.

Does it matter whether I have been off for 1 day or a week?

Yes, for who pays. If you have been sick for less than 3 days and your employer asks for proof, the employer must ask as soon as possible and reimburse the cost. If you have been sick for 3 or more days in a row, the employer can ask for proof from day 3 onward, and you pay for it yourself (Employment New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026). Full entitlement mechanics are on sick leave entitlement NZ.

What if I refuse to provide proof my employer has asked for?

Your employer does not have to pay you for that sick leave if it properly asked for proof, you did not provide it, and you do not have a reasonable excuse (Employment New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026). If you provide the proof later, your employer must then pay you for that leave.

The proof rule changes at exactly one point, and the table below sets out both sides of it.

Length of absence	Who requests proof	Who pays for it
Less than 3 days	Employer, as soon as possible	Employer reimburses the cost
3 or more days in a row	Employer, from day 3 onward	Employee pays
No proof requested	Not applicable	Not applicable, no cost arises

(Employment New Zealand, managing sick leave, retrieved 9 September 2026.)

Privacy at work, more broadly

What does the Privacy Act 2020 actually require of my employer?

Employers must comply with the Privacy Act 2020 and its Information Privacy Principles for any personal information they collect about you, including health information, and how they collect, store and use it should be documented in a workplace policy or employment agreement (Employment New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026).

Can I see what health information my employer holds about me?

Yes. Employees can ask their employer for access to the personal information the employer holds about them (Employment New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026).

Does telling a colleague count differently from telling my employer?

New Zealand employment and privacy law addresses what your employer, as the organisation, can collect and do with your information; how much you choose to tell individual colleagues is a personal choice, not a legal requirement either way. If you are worried about wider disclosure inside the workplace, raising that directly with whoever manages your leave is the practical step, since good faith obligations apply to both sides of the employment relationship.

The Privacy Act 2020's principles generally limit an employer to using personal information for the purpose it was collected for, which is typically administering your leave and pay, not general disclosure to colleagues (Employment New Zealand, retrieved 9 September 2026). If you believe information has been shared inappropriately, that is a matter for a formal privacy complaint or an employment relationship problem, which sits outside what a general guide can resolve for you.

Where this connects to bigger decisions

Does what I tell my employer affect an insurance claim later?

Not directly through your employer, but it is worth knowing that insurers assess claims using medical records they obtain with your consent, separately from anything your employer holds; see can insurers access medical records in NZ for how that process works if you ever need to make a claim under a health insurance, life insurance, trauma cover or income protection policy.

If my absence is going to be lengthy, what should I be doing at the same time as telling my employer?

Alongside keeping your employer informed, it is worth checking your entitlement under sick leave entitlement NZ, what happens once that leave runs out under how long can you be off work sick in NZ, and every source of income available under financial help when sick NZ. If the absence turns into a longer question about your role, returning to work after illness NZ covers the process your employer must follow.

Is there a way to protect my income without relying on what my employer decides to pay?

Yes. Income protection insurance, arranged while you are well, pays out independently of your employer once your own policy's waiting period and definitions are met. See the income protection guide, do I need income protection insurance, income protection cost NZ, income protection waiting and benefit periods, income protection claim stories NZ and the income protection calculator. If the absence is injury-related rather than illness-related, ACC weekly compensation explained and what ACC does not cover are the relevant starting points instead.

What to check alongside telling your employer

Telling your employer is rarely the only thing happening at once, and the table below points to the QuoteHub pages that cover what usually runs in parallel.

If you also need to	Go to
Confirm your paid leave balance	Sick leave entitlement NZ
Get a certificate at the lowest cost	Medical certificate NZ
Work out how much support money is available	Financial help when sick NZ
Understand your job security	Returning to work after illness NZ
See the full timeline of stages	How long can you be off work sick NZ
Compare ACC against a Work and Income benefit	ACC vs sickness benefit NZ

(Each situation sourced on its own linked QuoteHub guide.)

The bottom line

Tell your employer as soon as possible, keep the detail to "unable to work", and know that the Privacy Act 2020 governs what happens to anything more you choose to share. Financial advice is provided by Craig Smith Business Services Limited, trading as Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, a licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931). QuoteHub is a trading name. For the wider cluster, return to the off-work-sick hub, or start a free comparison if today's reading has you thinking about cover.

Adviser's view

QuoteHub's take is that most anxiety around this topic comes from a false assumption, that an employer needs to know the diagnosis to believe the leave is genuine. It does not. The law asks for prompt notice and confirmation that you cannot work, not a medical history, and oversharing tends to create privacy questions later that a plain notification never would have raised.

Henry Smith, Financial Adviser (FSP1010699). General information, not personalised financial advice.

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Cite this page QuoteHub NZ (2026). Telling Your Employer You Are Sick in NZ: Rights. www.quotehub.co.nz/guides/off-work-sick/telling-your-employer-you-are-sick-nz. Updated 2026-09-09.