Department of Social Protection
Illness Benefit certificate of incapacity for work
Illness Benefit needs a doctor's certificate from the first day; the GP sends it electronically, and a consultant's out-patient or in-patient certificate counts within limits.
The form itself is Department of Social Protection’s: the official form, on Department of Social Protection’s site (link checked 24 October 2026). Below is what each person fills in, where it goes, and the document we provide beside it.
What it asks for
A hospital certificate the department acceptsThe consultant completes
- Headed paper
- Doctor's name and Medical Council registration number
- Dates the patient is unfit for work
- Dates unfit for work, as a range
The claimThe patient completes
- Illness Benefit application on MyWelfare, or form IB1
- PPSN, included when the certificate is sent
- Date the illness began
Where it goes
- The GP can submit a Certificate of Incapacity for Work electronically; if not, a paper certificate supports the application.
- Out-patient hospital certificates, urgent care clinic certificates, script certificates and online-doctor certificates are accepted only for the first six weeks of illness; in-patient certificates for the stay and up to six weeks after discharge.
- Certificates must be on headed paper with the doctor's name and Medical Council number and the dates unfit for work, and can go by email to IBCerts@welfare.ie or by post with the PPSN.
- The claim should be made within six weeks of becoming ill, and the certificate is free even where the examination is charged for.
Using it well
- Put the Medical Council number on the letterhead so every certificate carries it.
- State the dates unfit for work as a range; the department says the certificate must include them.
Open it in the sample practice
The sample practice is the real Ask Brigid on invented patients, open without a sign-up. This document joins its Library with the next sample-practice update; the Library already holds the practice’s templates.
Sources
- gov.ie, Illness Benefit, read 24 October 2026
Checked against the sources above on 24 October 2026. Issuers change their forms; check the official page before you rely on a detail here.
Questions
Can a consultant's letter be used as an Illness Benefit certificate?
An out-patient hospital certificate is accepted for the first six weeks of illness, and an in-patient certificate for the stay and up to six weeks after discharge, if it is on headed paper with the doctor's name, Medical Council number and the dates unfit for work.
Where does the certificate go?
The GP submits it electronically; otherwise it goes by email to IBCerts@welfare.ie or by post, with the patient's PPSN.
Is there a charge for the certificate?
The department says the examination may be charged for but the Certificate of Incapacity for Work is free.
In Ask Brigid this paperwork sits beside the diary and the record: Certificates and letters in your house style.