🩺 Fax FMLA Certification to HR Online
Your completed FMLA certification goes to your employer, usually HR or the leave administrator, and never to the Department of Labor. Under the federal rule you must return it within 15 calendar days after your employer asks for it, unless that is not practicable despite your diligent, good faith efforts. Fax it to the number HR gives you: a US or Canadian fax costs $2.99 for up to 3 pages, and a cover page plus four pages from your doctor is $4.97.
📋 In This Guide
Where to Fax the FMLA Certification
The certification goes to your employer. Both Department of Labor forms, the WH-380-E for your own health condition and the WH-380-F for a family member's condition, carry the same instruction in capital letters: do not send the completed form to the Department of Labor. The WH-380-E also tells the health care provider to return it to the patient, which means you are the one who passes it on to HR.
Use only the fax number your employer gives you for leave paperwork. It is often on the FMLA request letter, on the notice of eligibility and rights, or in the email from HR or the leave administrator. Some employers hand leave requests to an outside company, and in that case the fax number belongs to that company, not to your local HR office. If you are not sure, ask HR in writing which number to use, and keep their answer.
If HR asks for an upload to a leave portal or an email instead, follow their process. If they give you a fax number, the steps below will get the form there within minutes.
The rule: fax your FMLA certification only to the HR or leave administrator number your employer gives you. Never fax it to the Department of Labor, because the form itself says not to send it there.
The 15 Calendar Day Deadline
The federal regulation, 29 CFR 825.305, says the employee must provide the requested certification to the employer within 15 calendar days after the employer's request. Calendar days include weekends and holidays, so count every day from the date of the request, and write that date down as soon as you receive it.
The rule has one exception: more time is allowed when meeting the 15 days is not practicable under the circumstances despite your diligent, good faith efforts. A common reason is that the doctor's office has not finished the form. If that happens, tell HR before the deadline, in writing, that the form is with your provider and when you expect it back. Then send the form the same day you receive it.
Your request letter from HR should tell you what is needed and by when. If anything in that letter is unclear, such as the date the count started or which form to use, ask HR in writing and keep their reply with your copy of the form.
WH-380-E or WH-380-F: Which One You Have
The WH-380-E is the certification of a health care provider for the employee's own serious health condition. The WH-380-F is the version used when you need leave to care for a family member with a serious health condition. Both forms were revised in June 2020, carry OMB number 1235-0003, and expire on August 31, 2029. Your employer may also use its own form, which is fine as long as it asks for the same kind of information.
Before you send it, look through every page and check that the health care provider has signed and dated the form and that your name is written correctly. An unsigned or incomplete form can lead HR to ask for it again, which costs you time against the deadline.
What to Put on the Cover Page and Each Page
A cover page helps your form reach the right person on a shared HR fax. Put the name of the HR contact or leave administrator, your full name as HR knows it, your employee ID number, any leave or claim number from the request letter, your phone and email, the words "FMLA certification, WH-380-E attached" (or WH-380-F), and the total number of pages.
Write your name and employee ID at the top of each page, and number the pages, for example 2 of 5. This keeps the pages together if they print out of order. Keep the cover page short and do not write medical details on it, because a cover page is the part that anyone near the fax machine can read.
Send every page, including pages left partly blank, and scan in black and white so dates and signatures are easy to read.
How to Send It and What It Costs
Go to OverseasFax, select United States (or Canada if your HR office is there), and type all 10 digits of the HR fax number with no leading 1. The +1 is added for you, and if you type a 1 at the start, the box removes it. The pay button turns on only when 10 digits are entered. For more detail on number format, see how to fax a US number online, or how to fax a Canadian number for an employer in Canada.
The price is $2.99 for up to 3 pages and $0.99 for each extra page. A cover page plus four pages from your doctor is 5 pages, which comes to $2.99 + 2 x $0.99 = $4.97. You see the total before you pay, there is no account to create, and nothing is printed on your document.
You can send from a phone or a computer; see faxing from Android if you are on a phone.
Your Record and If the Fax Fails
Delivery usually takes a few minutes. You then receive a confirmation email that shows the destination number, the page count and the time the fax went through, in US Eastern Time. Keep that email, because it is your record of exactly when it was sent, which is useful if the 15 day count is ever questioned.
If the fax cannot be delivered, the full amount goes back to your card automatically. The usual causes are a typed leading 1, a busy line, or a number that is a phone line and not a fax. Check the number with HR and send again.
OverseasFax is not HIPAA compliant and does not sign a business associate agreement, so it is a tool for you to send your own form, not a service for a medical office. If HR needs to fax something back to you, such as a designation notice, our sister service GetAFax.com gives you a private US fax number for 24 hours for $5, for up to 30 pages, and each fax arrives in your email as a PDF. Other workplace forms are covered in the US fax guide.
Why send it here
One price for the whole fax, shown before you pay, and nothing added at checkout.
Nothing is printed on your document. It arrives exactly as you uploaded it.
If it cannot be delivered, the money goes back to your card without you asking.
It works from anywhere in the US, in any browser, with no account.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to fax my FMLA paperwork to HR?
Is there a free way to fax a WH-380-E to my employer?
my HR lady says the FMLA form is due Friday and I only have my phone, can I still fax it today?
Where does a completed FMLA certification form go?
Do I mail my WH-380-F to the Department of Labor?
My doctor's office says they will fax the FMLA form to HR themselves, is that okay?
How many days do I have to turn in FMLA certification after HR asks?
Does the FMLA 15 day deadline count weekends?
Can I fax FMLA certification for leave to care for my father?
Where do I find my employer's fax number for FMLA forms?
Should I type a 1 before the HR fax number for my FMLA form?
My company uses an outside leave administrator, which fax do I send the FMLA certification to?
Can HR fax my FMLA designation notice back to me?
How can I show HR I faxed my FMLA certification before the 15 days ran out?
Will OverseasFax sign a HIPAA business associate agreement for my FMLA forms?
My FMLA fax to HR did not go through, did I lose my money?
Will my FMLA certification have a header or ad printed on it when HR gets it?
What should the cover sheet say when I fax FMLA forms to HR?
Do I need to send every page of the WH-380-E even if some parts are blank?
My doctor will not finish my FMLA paperwork within 15 days, what should I tell HR?
Can my wife fax my FMLA certification to HR for me?
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