Apprentice pay explained

As an apprentice you’re an employee, so you have to be paid at least the minimum wage. There’s a special minimum rate for apprentices, but plenty of employers pay well above it. Here’s what you need to know.

The apprentice rate

From April 2026, the apprentice minimum wage is £8.00 an hour, and it applies across the whole UK.

You’re on the apprentice rate if you’re:

• under 19, or
• 19 or over and in the first year of your apprenticeship.

Once you’re 19 or over and past your first year, you’re entitled to the normal minimum wage for your age instead. From April 2026 those rates are:

Age	Minimum per hour (from April 2026)
21 and over	£12.71
18 to 20	£10.85
Under 18	£8.00
Apprentice rate	£8.00

The rates change every year on 1 April, so check GOV.UK for the latest figures.

What does the minimum add up to?

Roughly £15,600 a year before tax, if you work 37.5 hours a week for 52 weeks at £8.00 an hour (that’s our own calculation from the GOV.UK rate, assuming paid holiday). Your actual hours and pay depend on your contract.

The apprentice rate went up from £7.55 to £8.00 on 1 April 2026, a rise of about 6%.

What apprentices actually earn

The Low Pay Commission, which advises the government on the minimum wage, looked at 2023 survey data on apprentice pay. It found that:

• median apprentice pay was about £10.87 an hour, way above the apprentice rate at the time (£5.28)
• pay went up with age, from a median of £6.17 an hour for 16 and 17 year olds to £13.08 for first-year apprentices aged 23 and over
• apprentices earned less, on average, than people the same age who weren’t apprentices
• median pay was under £6 an hour in some subjects, such as sport, leisure and recreation
• nearly one in five 16 and 17 year old apprentices, and nearly one in ten 18 year olds, were paid less than they should have been

Those numbers are from 2023, so the amounts are lower than today’s. The pattern is what matters: pay varies a lot by age, subject and employer.

Training time is paid too

You have to be paid for your normal working hours and for the training that’s part of your apprenticeship, including any English and maths study. Your contract should set out your pay.

Lots of employers pay more

The minimum is a floor, not what most people get. Some examples from employers we’ve researched, as they stated when we checked:

• The BBC pays £24,650 to £26,000 depending on the scheme, plus a living allowance for roles in London and the Channel Islands.
• KPMG UK pays £25,500 to £28,000 on its audit apprenticeship, depending on programme and location.

Pay can be different between programmes, levels and locations at the same employer, and it usually changes every year. Always check the figure for the exact role you’re applying for.

It’s not just about the salary

Look at the whole package: holiday (the legal minimum is 20 days plus bank holidays), pension, how your pay goes up during the programme, and whether travel or accommodation is covered if you have to train away from home.

If you think you’re being paid less than you should be, you can check your pay and complain to HMRC through GOV.UK’s National Minimum Wage pages. It’s free to do.