📄 Sick leave for burnout and exhaustion

Being signed off sick because of exhaustion is possible – legally, however, incapacity for work is tied to a separate diagnosis, not to the term "burnout" alone.

Incapacity for work eAU Sick note Duty to notify Duty to provide proof

In brief

If persistent exhaustion means you are no longer able to work, your doctor or a psychotherapist can sign you off sick (certificate of incapacity for work, Arbeitsunfähigkeitsbescheinigung, AU). As with any sick leave, you must inform your employer of the incapacity for work and its expected duration without delay. Since 2023, the doctor's practice has generally transmitted the certificate electronically (electronic certificate of incapacity for work, eAU) to the health insurer; the employer retrieves the data there. You still receive a certificate for your own records.

Important: whether and for how long you are signed off does not depend on the word "burnout" but on the diagnosis actually made (see What is burnout?). A pure Z73.0 code is usually not enough in practice for a longer period of sick leave.

Step by step

See a doctor or psychotherapist in good timeIf you have persistent exhaustion, do not wait for a complete breakdown.
Inform your employer without delayReport the incapacity for work and its expected duration on the same day, at the latest before regular working hours begin.
Do not confuse the eAU retrieval with your own duty to notifyElectronic transmission to the health insurer does not replace your personal duty to notify your employer.
Get a follow-up certificate in timeIf the incapacity for work continues, have a follow-up certificate issued in good time before the current one expires, to avoid gaps.
Keep an eye on how the diagnosis developsSpeak openly if you are unsure whether a separate diagnosis is documented alongside Z73.0 – this affects later entitlements.

Deadlines

without delay

Notifying the employer of the incapacity for work§ 5 Abs. 1 Satz 1 EFZG

from the 4th calendar day

Submitting a medical certificate of incapacity for work to the employer if the incapacity lasts longer than three calendar days (at the latest on the following working day; the employer may also require it earlier)§ 5 Abs. 1 Satz 2 und 3 EFZG

Watch out – common mistakes

Sick leave for "burnout" without an accompanying separate diagnosis may be critically questioned by the health insurer or, in a dispute, by the Medical Service (Medizinischer Dienst) – have the specific diagnosis explained to you.
Your employer is generally not allowed to ask about the diagnosis; you do not have to tell them. This also applies if colleagues or managers speculate about the reason for the exhaustion.
After more than six weeks of uninterrupted or repeated incapacity for work within a year, the employer must offer you workplace integration management (betriebliches Eingliederungsmanagement) – see separate topic page.
A certificate is not a substitute for treatment: in parallel with sick leave, clarify which therapy is an option.

In depth · legal basis, figures and practice – for advisers and professionals

Legal basis of the duty to notify and provide proof

§ 5 Abs. 1 EFZG obliges employees to notify the employer of the incapacity for work and its expected duration without delay (sentence 1). If the incapacity for work lasts longer than three calendar days, a medical certificate must be submitted at the latest on the following working day (sentence 2); the employer may also require it earlier (sentence 3). Since 1 January 2023, the electronic certificate of incapacity for work (eAU) has replaced the paper printout for the employer for people with statutory insurance: the doctor's practice transmits the data to the health insurer, and the employer retrieves it there. The employee's own duty to notify the employer remains unaffected.

Diagnosis and billing

For the certificate of incapacity for work, the practice internally documents a diagnosis under ICD-10-GM. As explained on the overview page, "burn-out" (Z73.0) is as a rule not used alone but alongside a separate diagnosis such as a depressive episode (F32.-) or an adjustment disorder (F43.2), since Z-codes on their own do not constitute a sufficient medical basis for longer-lasting incapacity for work.

Consequences for continued pay and sickness benefit

Sick leave itself first triggers continued pay by the employer (see separate topic page); after that ends, sickness benefit from the health insurer comes into consideration. For both, what is again decisive is whether and which diagnosis underlies the incapacity for work – in particular on the question of whether a later, "new" sick leave is due to the same or to a different illness.

Who is responsible

GP (Hausärztin/Hausarzt)
Specialist in psychiatry and psychotherapy or psychotherapist (issuing the certificate)
Health insurer (eAU retrieval)

Quick questions

Worum geht es bei „Sick leave for burnout and exhaustion“?

Being signed off sick because of exhaustion is possible – legally, however, incapacity for work is tied to a separate diagnosis, not to the term "burnout" alone.

Which deadlines and figures matter?

without delay: Notifying the employer of the incapacity for work (§ 5 Abs. 1 Satz 1 EFZG)
from the 4th calendar day: Submitting a medical certificate of incapacity for work to the employer if the incapacity lasts longer than three calendar days (at the latest on the following working day; the employer may also require it earlier) (§ 5 Abs. 1 Satz 2 und 3 EFZG)

What should I do first?

See a doctor or psychotherapist in good time: If you have persistent exhaustion, do not wait for a complete breakdown.
Inform your employer without delay: Report the incapacity for work and its expected duration on the same day, at the latest before regular working hours begin.
Do not confuse the eAU retrieval with your own duty to notify: Electronic transmission to the health insurer does not replace your personal duty to notify your employer.

What do I need to watch out for?

Sick leave for "burnout" without an accompanying separate diagnosis may be critically questioned by the health insurer or, in a dispute, by the Medical Service (Medizinischer Dienst) – have the specific diagnosis explained to you.
Your employer is generally not allowed to ask about the diagnosis; you do not have to tell them. This also applies if colleagues or managers speculate about the reason for the exhaustion.
After more than six weeks of uninterrupted or repeated incapacity for work within a year, the employer must offer you workplace integration management (betriebliches Eingliederungsmanagement) – see separate topic page.

Evidence

§ 5 EFZG (gesetze-im-internet.de)
GKV-Spitzenverband, procedure description eAU (gkv-spitzenverband.de)
ICD-10-GM 2026 (BfArM)

As of

As of September 2026. · Sources and method

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