Apprentice Pay Checker

The Apprentice Rate (£6.40/hr in 2026/27, rising to £8.00/hr in 2026) is the absolute lowest amount an employer can legally pay an apprentice. However, it only applies if you are under 19, or in the very first year of your apprenticeship.

If you turn 19 AND you have already completed the first year of your apprenticeship, your employer is legally required to immediately bump your pay up to the standard National Minimum Wage for your age bracket (£10.00+). If you are 19 but still in your first year, you stay on the Apprentice Rate until the first year is finished.

Yes! This is the most common way employers break the law. You must be paid your normal hourly rate for any time spent at college, taking exams, or doing training that is part of your apprenticeship.

First, show them the rules on Gov.uk—sometimes it's a genuine payroll mistake. If they refuse to fix it, you can report them anonymously to HMRC, who will investigate, force them to pay your backpay, and heavily fine the company.

No. You must have a signed apprenticeship agreement and be enrolled in a recognised training framework. If your employer just calls you an 'apprentice' to pay you less, but gives you no official training, they are breaking the law and owe you standard National Minimum Wage backpay.

Yes. The legal minimum wage rates update every April. Your employer must increase your pay in your first full pay packet after the new rates come into effect.

Yes, but only if you earn enough. You have the exact same £12,570 tax-free Personal Allowance as everyone else. Because the apprentice rate is so low, most apprentices do not earn enough to pay Income Tax, though you may pay a small amount of National Insurance.