Does Costco Accept Doctor's Notes? Sick Time, Leave, and Attendance

Costco keeps most of its HR policy details off its public site, more so than several of its big-box peers, so this page leans on what Costco’s careers page and court records actually confirm rather than filling gaps with assumption.

What Costco says about sick time and attendance

Costco’s own careers page states that its benefits for hourly employees include “paid sick and vacation time,” eight paid holidays, and one paid floating holiday for observances such as Juneteenth, Indigenous Peoples Day, or Veterans Day. Costco frames its overall benefits and pay as “industry leading” and says it aims to fairly compensate employees “for their continued contribution to our culture and success.”

Beyond that framing, Costco does not publish, at least not anywhere publicly accessible, the specific sick-time accrual rate, how many days or hours are available, or a stated point at which a manager can require a doctor’s note for a sick absence. That’s a meaningful gap for a company of Costco’s size, and it means the honest answer to “how many sick days before Costco needs a note” is: Costco hasn’t said, and it’s likely to vary by state law and by warehouse. If you need a specific answer, ask your manager or HR directly rather than relying on employee forum threads, which vary widely and aren’t a reliable source for current policy.

One data point that is public: a 2024 HR Dive report on an employment lawsuit against Costco quoted language from a Costco employee leave agreement stating that “the maximum continuous total amount of leave an employee may take, inclusive of both federal- and state-mandated leave, as well as Costco’s own personal medical leave policy, is 12 months, except as required by law.” That case involved an employee whose extended personal medical leave (following FMLA and California Family Rights Act leave to care for his wife) was not renewed beyond the 12-month cap because he hadn’t worked enough hours in the prior year to requalify for FMLA or CFRA leave. It’s a useful illustration of how leave stacking works at Costco, not a general attendance or sick-note policy.

How state and local sick-leave laws change the picture

Costco is headquartered in Washington and operates warehouses across nearly every state, including several with their own statewide paid-sick-leave and paid-family-leave laws that set a floor Costco’s internal policy can’t undercut:

• Washington, Costco’s home state, has its own statewide Paid Sick Leave law and a separate Paid Family and Medical Leave program. See Washington doctor’s-note and sick-leave laws.
• California, where Costco operates one of its largest warehouse counts, has a statewide paid-sick-leave law plus additional local ordinances in some cities. See California doctor’s-note and sick-leave laws.
• Illinois requires paid sick leave statewide, with Chicago adding its own ordinance on top. See Illinois doctor’s-note and sick-leave laws.

Where a state or local law limits what documentation an employer can require for a short sick absence, or requires paid sick leave Costco’s internal policy doesn’t otherwise guarantee, that law controls.

When a doctor’s note is typically requested

Independent of Costco’s specific and largely unpublished thresholds, general practice among large employers is to request a note for a longer or recurring absence, not a single sick day, mainly to confirm an employee was seen by a provider. A note for this purpose needs only the dates involved and a licensed provider’s signature; it does not need to name a diagnosis. Under EEOC guidance, disability-related medical inquiries of current employees must be job-related and consistent with business necessity, a standard a routine short absence rarely meets.

Practical steps if you’re out sick

• Call out through your warehouse’s usual process as soon as you can, and ask directly whether documentation will be needed if the absence extends past a day or two.
• Keep your own record of when you called out, to whom, and any note you later submit, including the date you turned it in.
• For anything approaching or exceeding a few weeks, or a recurring condition, start a formal leave-of-absence conversation with HR early, given the 12-month combined cap on medical leave referenced in the HR Dive report.
• Confirm which state’s sick-leave law applies to your location before assuming Costco’s general policy is the only protection you have.

FMLA and longer absences

A serious health condition, for you or a family member, generally belongs in a formal leave-of-absence request, not a single doctor’s note. Employees who qualify under the FMLA (generally 12 months of employment and 1,250 hours worked in the prior year, per the U.S. Department of Labor) can request job-protected leave with its own medical certification process. Remember that Costco’s own documented cap combines FMLA, state-mandated leave, and its internal personal medical leave policy into a single 12-month ceiling, so plan an extended absence with that in mind. CuroNote does not provide FMLA certifications, disability paperwork, or fitness-for-duty clearances; those requests need to start with Costco’s HR and leave process directly.

Where an online doctor’s note fits

A note signed by a physician licensed in your state is a legitimate medical document whether the visit happened in person or online. Costco has not published a position on online doctor’s-note services one way or the other, and nothing here should be read as Costco accepting, endorsing, or partnering with CuroNote. CuroNote is launching soon and does not yet issue notes; how a specific absence is handled remains Costco’s decision.

CuroNote is not affiliated with Costco.