Best Excuses for Not Going to Work

Looking for a believable excuse to miss work without damaging your reputation? This guide covers the best low-drama excuses that won't raise eyebrows, plus tips for delivering them so you sound credible. If you're blanking on ideas, use our Excuse Generator to get a non-repeating suggestion in seconds.

Health-related excuses (safest category)

Health issues are the most accepted reasons for missing work. They're common, time-limited, and managers rarely push for details.

Short-term illness:

• "I woke up with a migraine and need to lie down in a dark room." (low follow-up risk)
• "Food poisoning hit me overnight; I can't be far from the bathroom today." (common, resolves quickly)
• "I have a stomach bug and don't want to spread it around the office." (shows consideration)
• "I'm running a fever and feel too weak to work." (clear, time-limited)
• "I've had intense nausea since 3am and can't keep anything down." (specific, believable)

Medical appointments:

• "I have a sudden dentist emergency; they can squeeze me in this morning." (specific appointment)
• "My doctor's office called with a same-day opening I've been waiting months for." (takes advantage of cancellation)
• "I need to get bloodwork done first thing and they require fasting." (verifiable, time-bound)

Home and family emergencies

These excuses work when you need to handle something outside of your control. Keep them specific but not overly dramatic.

Childcare and family:

• "My kid's daycare closed unexpectedly; I need the morning to sort coverage." (specific, solvable)
• "My child woke up sick and I'm the only parent available today." (clear responsibility)
• "I need to take my parent to an urgent care appointment." (family duty)
• "My elderly neighbor had a fall and I'm their emergency contact." (shows character)

Home issues:

• "A pipe burst overnight and I need to wait for the plumber." (verifiable, time-bound)
• "My car won't start and the mechanic can't look at it until noon." (specific delay)
• "There's a gas leak reported on my street; we've been told to stay home." (safety concern)
• "My apartment building has a maintenance emergency and they need access to all units." (external requirement)

Remote work excuses

If you work from home, you need different excuses since commute and contagion don't apply.

• "My internet has been cutting in and out since last night. The tech is coming between 9-12." (verifiable by outage map)
• "I have a contractor coming for a repair that can't be rescheduled." (specific time window)
• "There's a power outage in my area affecting the whole block." (checkable, external cause)
• "I've had a family emergency and need to step away from screens today." (vague but acceptable)

For school-related excuses, check our dedicated guide with tips for students.

How to deliver your excuse

The excuse itself matters less than how you deliver it. A weak excuse delivered well beats a creative excuse delivered poorly.

Timing matters

1. Contact early: Message before the workday starts. It feels responsible.
2. Same-day is okay, but advance notice is better: If you know the night before, say so.
3. Morning is better than mid-day: Calling out at 2pm after missing the morning meeting looks bad.

Keep it short

One sentence reason + one sentence plan. That's it.

Good example:

"I woke up with food poisoning and won't be able to come in. I'll check email after 3pm if anything urgent comes up."

Bad example:

"I'm so sorry, but I had this terrible thing happen last night where I ate some chicken that must have been off, and I've been up since 2am feeling absolutely awful, and my husband said I should call out, and I feel terrible about the Johnson meeting today…"

The second example invites questions and sounds rehearsed. Keep your explanation under 30 seconds.

Match your normal tone

If you're usually casual with your manager, don't suddenly switch to formal corporate speak. If you're typically formal, don't try to be overly friendly. Consistency sounds honest.

Offer a handoff

Share where files are or who can cover your tasks. This signals goodwill and makes your manager's job easier.

Example:

"Sarah knows the status of the Miller project if anything urgent comes up."

Excuses that require advance notice

Some situations work better when you notify your employer ahead of time.

• "I have a personal appointment I can't reschedule on Thursday. I'll be out the full day."
• "I need a mental health day; I've been running on empty and want to come back focused."
• "I have a family obligation next Tuesday that I committed to before taking this job."
• "I'm handling some personal paperwork that requires me to be available during business hours."

These are vaguer, but giving advance notice makes them acceptable. Your employer doesn't need to know the details.

Red flags to avoid

These patterns will damage your reputation faster than any single excuse:

Don't do this:

• Use the same excuse twice in a month
• Call out on Mondays and Fridays repeatedly (looks like extended weekends)
• Miss important meetings or deadlines with last-minute excuses
• Post on social media while you're supposedly sick
• Give dramatic stories (house floods, car accidents) unless they're true
• Over-apologize or provide excessive detail
• Call out after a visible conflict with a coworker

Do this instead:

• Rotate your reasons across categories
• Take real sick days when you need them
• Use PTO for personal days when possible
• Give advance notice for anything you can predict
• Keep your social media quiet on sick days

When to tell the truth

Sometimes honesty works better than any excuse.

"I need a mental health day" is now acceptable at many workplaces. If your company culture supports it, use it. Keep it simple: "I need a mental health day today" without detailed explanation.

"I'm burned out" signals that you need support. A good manager will help you prioritize rather than punish you.

"I have a personal matter" covers anything you don't want to explain. Use it sparingly; it's vague enough that overuse looks suspicious.

Use the generator for a fresh option

If you're blanking on something believable, use the Excuse Generator with the Work filter. It serves up non-repeating excuses so you don't accidentally reuse your last one.

The generator also has Plausible and Bold settings if you need something more dramatic for a genuine emergency, or something safe for a simple day off.

Related tools

• Random Decision Maker: Can't decide whether to call out? Let the tool decide.
• Conversation Starter Generator: Need to practice delivering your excuse? Use conversation starters to warm up your speaking voice.