Any self-employed person knows it's very difficult to completely switch off and not do any work at all, but if you do work while on sick leave, it could have serious consequences. Social Security explains that if a self-employed worker requests sick leave, it means they are unable to perform any work activities, including those related to their business. There’s a very fine line between what you can and can’t do during sick leave. As a freelancer, it can be very difficult to stop working completely as often you will be the only one working for your business and when you stop working, everything stops. Penalties can range from 25 to 100 percent of the economic benefits you received during the sick leave period.