Sick leave, i.e. the so-called L4, confirms that the employee is not able to work due to his health condition. The document is also the basis for the payment of sickness benefits for persons employed under an employment contract or mandate contract, if they pay health insurance contributions.
L4 – what cannot be done? Can you leave the house on L4?
An employee who is on sick leave cannot perform any professional duties, even if he has already recovered. This also applies remote work. While on L4, you should also not do major housework, such as renovations, gardening and mowing the grass. You also cannot travel within the country or abroad. You can't party while on sick leave.
Much depends on the type of L4 we receive doctor. The number 1 may appear on the document, this is the so-called lying leave, or number 2, i.e. the so-called walking dismissal. In the first case, the person must stay at home all the time. It is possible to leave the house only in exceptional situations – to the pharmacy or to the doctor. If we have L4 with the number 2, we can also perform everyday activities, such as grocery shopping or taking a walk.
L4 inspection by ZUS. When can sick leave be checked? What are the penalties?
The Social Insurance Institution has the right to check whether the health condition of a person on L4 sick leave actually prevents him from performing work. More and more Poles use sick leave inappropriately. For this reason ZUS conducts inspections more and more often and has repeatedly “caught people red-handed”, as mentioned above they wrotewe went to bed earlier Next.Gazeta.pl.
Please remember that using the L4 exemption contrary to the rules may result in numerous consequences. If we use a false L4, we may be dismissed from work, receive a financial penalty and have sickness benefits paid back unduly paid.
In 2023, ZUS inspected 461.2 thousand L4 sick leaves and questioned 28.9 thousand sickness benefits for the amount of PLN 29 million 273 thousand. These are ZUS checks to check whether the person is still sick and whether he or she is using L4 correctly.