When an employee submits a medical certificate for sick leave, the employer must retain the original document.
For data protection reasons, it is intentionally not possible to upload a digital copy of the certificate (for example, a scanned version) to Timebutler.
Data Protection and GDPR
Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), health data is classified as sensitive personal data (Article 9) and may only be processed under very strict conditions.
If a digital copy of a medical certificate were uploaded to absence management software, even though the original document must still be kept, this would generally be considered a convenience feature rather than a legally justified necessity under the GDPR.
To prevent users from unintentionally breaching data protection regulations, Timebutler does not allow medical certificates to be uploaded or stored digitally within the system.
Electronic Certificate of Incapacity for Work (eAU)
For many employees in Germany, the traditional paper-based medical certificate has been replaced by the electronic certificate of incapacity for work (eAU).
For other employees, including those outside Germany, the paper certificate may still be used.