Sometimes you need to skip a day. Here are 20 excuses that actually hold up.
A note: these work best used sparingly. Your manager notices patterns.
The 20
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Stomach issues. Vague but specific. "Felt off all night, didn't sleep, can't make it in." Hard to disprove, rarely needs follow-up.
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Migraine. "Got hit with one this morning, can't look at a screen." Specific enough to be credible.
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Food poisoning. "Bad oysters last night." Vivid, brief, no follow-up needed.
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Family emergency. Don't elaborate. "Family emergency, will fill you in when I'm back" is enough.
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Doctor / dentist appointment. Schedule one and use it. Real, defensible.
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Mental health day. Increasingly accepted in modern offices. "Need to take a mental health day" is straightforward.
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Pet emergency. "Dog's vomiting, vet called me in." Real if you have a pet; otherwise risky.
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Plumber / electrician / repair person here. "Have to be home for a 4-hour service window."
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Childcare fell through. If you have kids — real and common.
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Migraine plus light sensitivity. Same as migraine but more specific.
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Jury duty. Don't lie — they verify with a real summons.
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Power / internet outage. "Can't get on Slack, neighbor's tree took out a line."
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Car trouble. "Car broke down, waiting on tow." Lasts ~3-4 hours.
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Voting (on election day). Most companies allow it.
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Bereavement. Don't fake this. If real, take the time.
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Sick child / parent / partner. Real-world common.
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Bad reaction to medication. "Started something new yesterday, side effects are rough."
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Burst pipe / flooding. Believable; lasts a day.
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Lost wallet / phone with work data. Especially if you commute.
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Religious / cultural observance. Real. Defensible.
What not to use
- Anything requiring a doctor's note unless you have one.
- "I won the lottery" kind of nonsense.
- A funeral when there isn't one. Karma.
- Anything that creates a paper trail you can't produce.
- The same excuse twice in a month.
How to deliver
- Text or message early. Before your manager wonders where you are.
- Brief, no over-explanation. Long stories sound rehearsed.
- Don't follow up with too many details.
- Don't post on social media during the "sick" day.
When you should genuinely take time off
- You're burned out.
- A real emergency happened.
- You haven't taken PTO in months.
- You're job-hunting and need an interview day.
That last one — speaking of: Sorce auto-applies to 5M+ jobs while you work. 40 free swipes/day. Maybe you don't need so many sick-day excuses if you're hunting for a better role.
For more: reasons to call out of work, good excuses to call out of work, excuses to leave work early.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What's the best excuse to get out of work?
- Anything you can deliver convincingly that doesn't require follow-up. Stomach issues, family emergency (true), and migraine are common because they're hard to disprove and rarely require detail.
- Should I lie to my employer?
- We're not your career counselor. If you need a day off and can't take a real PTO day, picking a low-friction reason matters. Don't lie about something that creates paper trails (doctor's notes, jury duty).
- How often can I use these?
- Sparingly. Patterns get noticed. Real PTO and sick days exist for a reason.
- What if I genuinely hate my job?
- Apply to a new one. Sorce can apply to 5M+ open roles for you. 40 free swipes a day.