Implementation of the e-Sick Leave–Employer System Begins on 1 January 2026

The introduction of the e-Sick Leave – Employer system as of 1 January 2026 enables the electronic exchange of documents and notifications related to sick leave, thereby eliminating the need for paper documentation and the physical submission of certificates.

With the adoption of the Law on the Exchange of Data, Documents and Notifications in Cases of Temporary Incapacity for Work through the software solution e-Sick Leave – Employer, an important step has been taken toward improving the sick leave system and further digitalizing procedures in the fields of labour and health insurance. The new law establishes a mandatory framework for the electronic exchange of data between employers, healthcare institutions, and the Republic Health Insurance Fund (RHIF), with the aim of increasing efficiency, legal certainty, and reducing administrative burdens.

In practice, the sick leave system has for years faced challenges such as patients repeatedly travelling between doctors and employers to submit certificates and referrals, inefficient coordination between institutions, delays in the calculation and payment of salary compensation, limited availability of medical commissions in smaller communities, and reliance on paper-based documentation. This way of working complicated the exercise of insured persons’ rights, hindered the work of doctors and the RHIF, generated additional costs for employers, and created room for abuse.

NALED recognized these challenges and, through Recommendation 3.7 of the Grey Book, “Introduce the e-Sick Leave System”, highlighted the need for a comprehensive reform of the sick leave system. This reform includes upgrading information systems, improving coordination between healthcare institutions, the RHIF, and employers, as well as clearly defining obligations and deadlines for all participants in the process. Particular emphasis was placed on introducing an electronic system as a key mechanism for reducing administrative costs, accelerating payments, and limiting opportunities for sick leave abuse.

In line with these recommendations, the introduction of the e-Sick Leave – Employer system developed by the Office for Information Technologies and Electronic Government (ITE) enables employers to receive sick leave certificates and reports on temporary incapacity for work electronically, as well as to automatically receive decisions of first-instance medical commissions, without the need for physical delivery of documentation. Electronic documents issued by the selected physician have the evidentiary value of public documents and are automatically available to employers, with clearly defined personal data protection and restricted access to sensitive health information. Data exchange is carried out exclusively through solutions interconnected with the relevant systems. As of 1 January 2026, employers will receive certificates and referrals electronically, and as of 1 April 2026, the system will also enable the submission of requests for the calculation of salary compensation during temporary incapacity for work, receipt of calculations from the competent authority, as well as the submission of objections and requests, along with notifications containing the assessment of the first- or second-instance medical commission regarding the submitted objection or request.

The Law applies to all employers, including both the public and private sectors, as well as to entrepreneurs employing one or more persons, while the system is also available to entrepreneurs without employees. Employers are required to register and access the software solution by 1 January 2026, except for entrepreneurs employing one or more persons, who are required to register and access the solution by 1 January 2027.

The introduction of the e-Sick Leave – Employer system significantly simplifies administrative processes, reduces the burden on employers and employees, and improves efficiency in the fields of labour and health insurance. NALED will continue to actively contribute to the development and implementation of this digital system, with the aim of establishing a reliable, fair, and sustainable sick leave system in Serbia.