Sometimes an employer may request a doctor note as company policy for illness or injuries.
When employees are using large amounts of doctor’s time and resources to acquire these notes, the consequence is a fee.
Are doctors notes free in Alberta?
No, doctors notes are not free in Alberta.
Most doctors charge a fee of around $50. This is not covered by Alberta Health care as this is a private fee that depends on the policy of the individual clinic.
You might be able to get reimbursed by your employer for the cost up to $50. More about that in our article “Can employers request a doctors note in Alberta?”
There was a time when doctors notes did not usually have a fee.
Clinics began charging money for sick notes for employers as they were deemed to be wasteful of time and resources.
This was a relatively big news story in Alberta, and a somewhat controversial topic.
On the one hand, employers required a doctor note fir absences, and on the other hand, the clinic was charging around $40 or $50.
This led to the loss of income for missing work due to illness, as well as a costly fee.
News story about doctors notes from April of 2015.
In Summary
- Doctors notes are not free in Alberta.
- Your employer can ask you to provide a doctor note in certain circumstances
- The cost is usually around $50, and you should be able to get your employer to pay you back for this expense
