Purpose : The aim of this study was to investigate whether early vocational rehabilitation is more effective than rehabilitation initiated at a later stage. Method : The study was based on a sample of 612 individuals on long-term sick leave (90 days or more) who had received vocational rehabilitation. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to investigate whether time before start of rehabilitation was associated with the outcome. Results : The study supports the hypothesis that early interventions are more effective than late, but only for women, and more so for the younger woman than for the older.