Instructions: how to check the authenticity of a sick leave certificate

Why check

A certificate of incapacity for work officially confirms absence from work for a valid reason.
Illness of an employee or members of his family, long-term treatment, operations, restorative procedures, rehabilitation - all these are grounds for issuing sick leave. Temporary disability forms are issued only by official medical institutions - public hospitals and private clinics that are licensed to issue sick leave. And employers have the opportunity to check sick leave online by barcode or number. A sick leave certificate is the only document that exempts you from work and compensates for the costs of treatment. Employees try to formalize it not only for its intended purpose, but also for their own benefit. It looks like this: the employee negotiates with a doctor he knows so that he can take sick leave for the days he is absent (not due to illness). This option is possible and not even prohibited, but not all doctors are ready to take such a risk.

There is now an option for issuing fake sick leave. They promise that it looks like the real thing. But that's not true. An experienced accountant will distinguish a fake from the original. If visually everything is in order, the received form is identical to the verified certificates of incapacity for work and the specialist does not have any suspicions, then the document is not checked. But you should not trust only your feelings; it is advisable to check the sick leave certificate for authenticity according to all the rules. If anything confuses you, then run a check. Just hurry up - the accountant has 10 days to send the calculation, which means you can check it within this period.

Electronic sick leave certificates and registers issued in those regions where the pilot project operates are not checked. In such cases, the sick leave is sent directly to the Social Insurance Fund, where it will be verified by the Social Insurance Fund experts themselves.

Filling example

If you are filling out a disability form for the first time, it is better to use a sample. This will reduce time costs and also reduce the likelihood of making serious mistakes.

An example of filling out a sick leave by a doctor at a medical institution:

• at the top of the sheet (near the barcode with the number) the type of document is indicated: primary or duplicate (in this case, the number of the lost sheet is noted next to it);
• the name of the medical institution and its location address are given;
• The date of issue of the form is indicated. If the name of the clinic (hospital) has been abbreviated, then the OGRN of 13 digits is additionally indicated;
• information about the patient: full name, gender of the disabled person, date of birth, SNILS, Taxpayer Identification Number (INN), reason for loss of ability to work, place of work. Full name of the family member who requires care and due to whose illness, a form of relationship is drawn up;
• The table “Exemption from work” is filled out. Indicate the start and end dates of the sick leave, the doctor’s details (initials, surname and signature);
• It is noted when the patient should begin work. In case of extension of sick leave, the corresponding code is entered in the “Other” column;
• The form's spine is filled out. The name of the doctor, the patient, the medical history number, the date of issue of the sick leave is noted;
• Signatures and seals are affixed in the designated places.

An example of filling out sick leave by an employer:

• the name of the company is indicated;
• it is noted that the employee works at the main place of work or part-time;
• registration number and subordination code are entered;
• the TIN, SNILS of the employee is written;
• the date of commencement of the employee’s work activity is indicated;
• the period for which the benefit is calculated is noted;
• average earnings in rubles and kopecks are included;
• it is indicated what amount of sickness compensation will be paid at the expense of the employer, and what amount will be paid by the Social Insurance Fund;
• the surname and initials of the head of the company and the chief accountant are indicated;
• Signatures and a seal are affixed.

Ways to check

There is no single verification methodology. There are many ways to spot a fake. Some of them give clear results immediately, others require time. If an accountant has the opportunity, it is better to use not one, but several verification procedures. To identify a fake, you can:

• conduct an analysis of the visual compliance required by this strict reporting form;
• contact the medical institution that issued the form;
• check the certificate of incapacity for work by number online through the territorial branch of the Social Insurance Fund;
• send a letter to the regional Social Insurance Fund with a request to verify sick leave;
• check by barcode: run your finger over the surface of the barcode or illuminate the form in an ultraviolet lamp.

The most effective way is to control counterfeits through the Social Insurance Fund. Sometimes only external verification is enough; counterfeit forms differ significantly from the original ones.

Rules for issuing certificates of incapacity for work

The rules for preparing leaflets are set out in Order of the Ministry of Health and Social Development of the Russian Federation dated June 29, 2011 N 624n. Hospitals issue certificates in the following cases:

• illnesses of a citizen or members of his family;
• a woman going on maternity leave and giving birth.

The sheet is given to the employee at the time of contacting doctors for medical care or at the time of termination of sick leave. The specified document is the legal basis for the provision of benefits. When treating illnesses at home, sick leave is issued for up to fifteen days. If the employee’s illness period exceeds the specified number of days, then the certificate is handed over only by decision of a committee of doctors. Sick leave for pregnancy and childbirth is issued by a gynecologist. It is given to a woman at thirty weeks of pregnancy. Issued at a time for one hundred and forty calendar days.

According to the Social Insurance Fund, residents of our country issue approximately fifty million sick leaves annually. Four hundred billion rubles are allocated to pay for them.

In 2015, the transition to electronic sick leave began in the Russian Federation. For the first time, such projects began to be used in the following regions: Tambov, the Republics of Crimea and Tatarstan, Samara, Astrakhan, Belgorod regions and Khabarovsk Territory. The use of pilot projects has proven that their implementation can reduce costs for employers and hospitals, reduce staff workload, and also reduce the likelihood of abuse. The electronic document received legal status on July 1, 2017. At the same time, the traditional form of sick leave has been preserved.

Instructions: check by external signs

Visual verification is an instant identification of authenticity at the time of receipt of a sick leave certificate. This is done at work - in the office of an accountant or director. Here's how to check sick leave at work:

• compare the submitted certificate of incapacity for work with those forms that were accepted and paid for by the Social Insurance Fund (that is, which are proven to be genuine);
• check all required attributes - watermarks, microfibers, microtexts;
• shine the document through ultraviolet light (you can use a device to check money);
• check the barcode;
• try the thickness of the paper.

Certificates of incapacity for work are strict reporting forms. Its form was approved by Order of the Ministry of Health and Social Development No. 347n dated April 26, 2011.

They are printed in a special printing house, so they are all identical and have certain visual features. The rules for filling out the sheet are uniform and enshrined at the legislative level (Order of the Ministry of Health and Social Development No. 624n dated June 29, 2011). Here's what to check immediately upon receiving the document:

The sick leave certificate has a high protection class (class B), so checking its authenticity by visual signs is not difficult. But this is not always enough. To identify authenticity, use special services of the FSS.

Required details

The procedure for issuing sick leaves stipulates that a well-executed document contains the following data:

• medical card number;
• name of the parties - medical organization, full name of the employee and place of his main work or part-time work;
• insurance period and indication of non-insurance periods;
• TIN and SNILS number;
• average monthly salary level;
• benefit amount;
• conditions for calculating monetary compensation.

Most general information is provided by codes, the explanation of which is on the back of the form. When a person needs care for two children, the certificate is issued in two copies, the difference being the child’s personal data.

Instructions: request to a medical institution

Here is another option on how to check the authenticity of a sick leave certificate through a request to a medical institution:

1. If this is a commercial clinic, call the Social Insurance Fund (or the clinic itself) and clarify whether this healthcare organization has the right to issue sick leave.
2. If so, call the private clinic itself (contact the attending physician) and find out whether a particular patient was treated in the organization.
3. If the clinic refuses to provide information (and this is quite possible), citing the confidentiality of the relationship between the patient and the doctor, form an official request addressed to the chief physician of the institution. Be sure to attach a copy of your sick leave certificate.
4. The organization is obliged to respond to an official request, so the accountant is simply waiting for a response.
5. In the case of a public clinic or hospital, the procedure is similar. The only difference is that budgetary medical institutions are more willing to provide information, because they understand the risks.

Verifying the authenticity of a sick leave certificate at a medical institution is far from the most effective option. The procedure is long, and scammers have learned to bypass basic difficulties when interacting with government clinics.

Answers to some questions in typical situations

A sick leave certificate is an official document, so you must handle the form carefully. Do not bend or wrinkle the document. However, the Procedure for issuing certificates of incapacity for work indicates that bending the certificate 2-3 times is not a reason for reissuing it. Seals, signatures and capital letters must be made within the limits allocated for their affixing, but if such technical inaccuracies are made, this is not a reason for re-issuing a certificate of incapacity for work or refusing payment under it.

The healthcare system in the Russian Federation is constantly being reformed, which is aimed at improving the document flow system and optimizing all processes. This requires the management and employees of the company to be aware of the latest changes in legislation in this area of ​​labor relations.

Instructions: check by number on the FSS website

The fastest and, in fact, the most accurate way is to check the sick leave certificate online by number. Check the authenticity of the certificate of incapacity for work on the official website of the Social Insurance Fund. The bottom line is that the Social Insurance Fund maintains a register of stolen or lost sick leave certificates. If the certificate of incapacity being checked is included in this list, it is fake. For policyholders submitting reports via telecommunications channels, such authentication will take a couple of minutes.

Here's how to check sick leave by number online on the FSS website:

1. Follow the link to the official website of the FSS.
2. Log in to the personal account of the insured organization.
3. In your electronic account, enter the employee’s slip number and SNILS.
4. If the sick leave is genuine, it will be displayed after the search.
5. If the policyholder maintains electronic document flow with the Social Insurance Fund, then he fills out the certificate of incapacity for work in the “To be filled out by the employer” field. The specialist must keep all the information, sign the digital signature and send it to the Social Insurance Fund.

This check is always up to date and accurate. But there is another way to check the authenticity of a sick leave through online resources. On the same official website of the FSS there is a list of invalid and missing sick leave certificates.

The user enters this section and downloads a table with a register of lost data.

If after entering the first nine digits a match is found, the certificate of incapacity for work is fake.

For your convenience, we offer to download the current FSS table.

What's on the back?

On the back of the new sick leave form there are no fields or columns in which information must be entered. Here you will find information and recommendations regarding filling out the front part of the document. There is a list of various codes with decoding and the order and conditions for their entry.

They consist of 2-3 digits. In particular, codes are provided to indicate the cause of disability, notes on the patient’s violation of the outpatient or inpatient treatment regimen. What the reverse side of a temporary disability certificate looks like, valid since 2011 and still relevant today, can be found in the figure below:

Both sides of the new sample form have security elements. You can distinguish an original sick leave certificate from a fake by exposing it to infrared and ultraviolet radiation. The description and type of protective elements on the new sick leave form are shown below in the figure:

What to do if the check on the FSS website does not produce results

If the electronic verification did not display data on the authenticity of the sick leave, but you still doubt that this is the original, contact the FSS. This method is the most correct. FSS experts will contact the medical institution themselves and check the authenticity of the certificate of incapacity for work. There is only one downside - data analysis will take a long time, and the accountant is obliged to pay the employee sick leave within 10 days.

The appeal is drawn up on company letterhead indicating the organizational details of the policyholder. The form is free. One of the mandatory conditions is to include in the content of the letter information about the employee, sick leave number and the medical organization that issued the form. The certificate of incapacity for work itself is attached to the letter, and not a copy, but the original.

How to check the authenticity of a sick leave certificate using the FSS

If a visual inspection did not help to identify a fake, you did not find the form number in the registry, but you still have doubts about its authenticity - contact the FSS directly.

To do this, you need to knock at the territorial office of the Social Insurance Fund at the place of registration or at the regional office at the location of the hospital that issued the sheet. This can be done in writing, electronically, by fax or in person. In all cases, you must provide sick leave for verification. Please note that you can wait up to 30 days for a written response from the Foundation, and sometimes longer, so it is better to come in person and with a dubious sick leave in hand.

FSS employees will help determine whether the document was issued by the organization indicated on the sheet and whether it has a license. If the official response confirms the invalidity of the sick leave, then there is no need to accept it for credit and do not need to pay for it.

What to do if the sick leave is fake

If you submit a fake sick leave, there are two scenarios:

1. If the forgery is detected immediately and payment for such a certificate of incapacity does not go through. Everything is simple here. The organization loses nothing, declares the forgery at its own discretion, and punishes the culprit at its discretion.
2. If the accountant processed and paid for a fake sick leave. Usually such violations are detected by the FSS. If payment is made, the FSS will simply compensate the policyholder’s expenses. The employer recovers damages from the employee, but the amount of recovery cannot exceed 20% of his earnings. Anything more is collected through the court.

What to do with the violator depends on the decision of management. If the manager is loyal to the employee, he will limit himself to a warning. You cannot be fired for providing a fake sick leave certificate.

How is one-day sick leave paid?

Having found out whether sick leave is given for 1 day in certain situations, we will figure out how it is paid and whether it is paid at all. Disability benefits are paid for the entire period of illness, for all calendar days, its amount depends on the employee’s insurance coverage:

• less than six months - the amount of payment is equal to the minimum wage (regional coefficients are taken into account);
• less than five years - the benefit amount is 60% of the average salary;
• from five to eight years - the payment amount will be 80% of average earnings;
• from eight years - the amount of payment for a certificate of incapacity for work is 100% of the average salary.

The length of service is calculated by HR department specialists based on the employee’s work record. Payment for the first three days of illness is made by the employer, who makes them at his own expense without the possibility of subsequent reimbursement from the Social Insurance Fund (Part 2, Article 3 of Federal Law No. 255-FZ of December 29, 2006). The form of the certificate of incapacity for work looks like this:

What is the penalty for falsifying sick leave and recording it?

The organization faces nothing but uncompensated losses from payments based on a fake certificate of incapacity for work. They are collected over a long period from the employee’s salary or in a lump sum through the court.

The employee committed fraudulent acts, so the employer has the right to write a statement about forgery of documents. Such offenses are subject to criminal liability (Article 159.2, 327 of the Criminal Code) in the form of a large fine or imprisonment for up to 2 years. But such punishment is initiated only by the leader. If a fake sick leave gets into the hands of FSS employees, they have the right to contact the police and demand the initiation of a criminal case.

Responsibility for forgery

A disciplinary sanction is imposed on an employee for forgery of a strict reporting document. There is also criminal liability. It is charged on the basis of a claim from the employer or the Social Insurance Fund. The claim must refer to Article 327 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. If an employee received temporary disability benefits, he may also be charged with Article 159.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (fraud). The employee may have the following responsibilities:

• Up to 3 years of imprisonment.
• A fine of up to 120,000 rubles.
• Correctional work.

When filing a claim, the employer pays for all examinations to establish the authenticity of the document. If the fact of forgery is proven, compensation for expenses in the appropriate amount can be requested from the employee.

FOR YOUR INFORMATION! Despite the prevalence of document forgery, their authenticity is rarely verified. This is due to the complexity of the procedure. When contacting the authorities, you will have to wait for a response from several weeks to several months. Therefore, it makes sense to check sick leave only if there are serious suspicions of forgery.

The difference between an electronic certificate of incapacity for work and a paper one

There are practically no differences. This is the same document familiar to everyone, only in electronic form. It contains all the same information as its counterpart on paper. Its main difference is its completely electronic registration, maintenance and closure, as well as the fact that the document must be certified by an enhanced qualified electronic signature of the doctor and medical organization.

The process of calculating and paying for such documents is the same as for paper ones. In terms of legal force, both options for issuing certificates of incapacity for work are absolutely equal. Therefore, there is absolutely no reason for citizens not to trust electronic sick leave and choose the paper version. Moreover, ELN has a number of obvious advantages. Let's look at them in more detail.