The eAU (electronic certificate of incapacity for work) replaces the traditional paper sick note for all employees with statutory health insurance. Once a period of incapacity for work is approved, project b. retrieves the eAU from the health insurer. This article explains where to find the status, what each status means, and when you need to take action.
❗️ Approve the absence first
Before the eAU process can start, the incapacity for work must be approved. See the article Reviewing absence requests from employees for instructions on how to review and approve pending requests.
Understanding the automatic process
As soon as an incapacity for work is recorded and approved for an employee with statutory health insurance and a date of medical determination is on file the retrieval starts automatically. You don't need to trigger anything.
The process at a glance:
The request is scheduled - at the earliest 2 calendar days after the date of medical determination.
project b. sends the request to the health insurer.
The insurer's response is retrieved and evaluated.
The result appears in project b. as soon as it's available, along with an explanation where relevant. You can also receive email notifications, see "Enabling email notifications" below.
eAU request overview
To see all open and completed eAU requests, navigate to eAU requests.
The page has two tabs: Open lists all requests that are still pending or in progress. Reviewed lists completed cases that have been marked as reviewed.
Use the search to find a specific employee quickly.
Status overview
Each request has a status. The table below explains what it means and whether you need to act.
Status | Meaning | Action required? |
Planned | The request is prepared but has not yet been sent. | No - you can send it manually via Request now, but this is generally not recommended. |
In progress | The request has been sent; the insurer's response is pending. | No - the response usually arrives within an hour. |
Pending | The insurer has indicated that it is still reviewing (e.g. 28 days). | No - project b. follows up automatically. |
Done | The incapacity for work was confirmed without discrepancies. | No. |
To review | There is a discrepancy or something that needs clarification. | Yes - see the details panel. |
Failed | The retrieval failed due to a technical error. | Yes - contact customer support. |
Reviewed | You or your payroll specialist have closed the case. | No. |
Click on any row to open the details panel. There you'll find the eAU section with the exact status, the insurer's response, and the available actions.
Handling "To review" cases
When a request has the status To review, the details panel shows an explanation card with the reason and a specific recommended action. The most common causes:
Unknown person / wrong insurer: The employee was not found in the insurer's records. Check the insurance details and submit a new request.
Mismatched data: The insurer reports different dates than what's in the system. Clarify the discrepancy with the employee.
No certificate on file: The eAU has not yet been received by the insurer. Submit a new request or wait for the employee to provide a later notification.
Under review: The insurer is still checking. project b. follows up automatically; after 28 days without a response, the status changes to To review.
Manual actions
In certain situations you can intervene directly.
Request now
If the status is Planned and you don't want to wait for the automatic send time, click Request now. The request is sent immediately - however, we generally advise against using this option.
Request again
For certain insurer responses (e.g. when the employee was not found in the insurer's records, or no certificate is on file), the details panel offers a Request again action. Use it when the guidance text in the details panel recommends it.
Mark as reviewed
Once you've resolved a case with the employee or the insurer, click Mark as reviewed. You can optionally add a note. The case moves to the Reviewed tab.
Reset review
To undo a review marking, click Reset review. Any note you added is kept.
Special cases
Employees with private health insurance permanently show the status To review. No automatic retrieval runs for them. Request proof of incapacity directly from the employee.
Absences without a date of medical determination (typically up to 3 days) do not trigger an eAU retrieval. The details panel shows a corresponding note - no action needed.
Absences over 3 days without a date of medical determination - the details panel shows To review and prompts you to clarify the date with the employee. Enter it once you have it.
Edits after the request has been sent - changes to an incapacity record after the request has been sent do not affect the process already running. Only Request again or a new incapacity record with the correct data triggers a new request.
Enabling email notifications
By default, you don't receive emails about eAU requests. You can enable two notifications individually:
eAU confirmed - you're notified when the insurer confirms the incapacity for work without issues.
Needs review - you're notified when a request requires manual review.
Go to Settings, then click Email Notifications.
You can then enable each notification individually.
