Apprenticeships · 5 min read
How much do apprentices get paid?
What apprentices earn in England: the £8.00 apprentice minimum wage from April 2026, when your age rate kicks in, and typical pay by level.
The short answer
The legal minimum for an apprentice is £8.00 an hour from 1 April 2026, if you're under 19 or in your first year. After that you're owed your age rate: £10.85 at 18 to 20 and £12.71 at 21 and over. Most employers pay more. Typical Level 2 and 3 pay runs from about £15,000 to £22,000 a year, and degree apprentices often start between £20,000 and £30,000. You're paid for training hours as well as work.
Key takeaways
- Apprentice minimum from April 2026: £8.00 an hour, about £15,600 a year on a 37.5-hour week.
- From year two, if you're 19 or over, your age rate applies: £10.85 (18-20) or £12.71 (21+).
- The advert shows the real figure; large employers and degree apprenticeships pay well above the floor.
- Training time, including college days, is paid at the same rate as working time.
On this pageThe legal floor, by age and year
The legal floor, by age and year
| Your situation | Minimum rate | On a 37.5-hour week |
|---|---|---|
| Under 19, any year | £8.00 | About £15,600 a year |
| 19 or over, first year | £8.00 | About £15,600 a year |
| 19 or 20, second year onwards | £10.85 | About £21,150 a year |
| 21 or over, second year onwards | £12.71 | About £24,800 a year |
The switch happens on the first day of your second year if you're 19 or over, or on the pay period after your 19th birthday if you've already done a year. Check that payslip. Payroll systems don't always notice.
What apprentices actually earn
The floor and the typical figure are different things. Small employers in hairdressing, hospitality and care often pay at or near the minimum. Larger employers in engineering, construction, digital, finance and the public sector pay more, sometimes much more, because they're competing with each other and with university. Pay also rises as you move through the programme, and the qualification lifts your earning power when you finish.
- Level 2 and 3, small employer: often the minimum to about £16,000.
- Level 3, large employer: £16,000 to £22,000 is common, with rises each year.
- Level 4 and 5: £18,000 to £26,000, depending on sector.
- Degree apprenticeship (Level 6 and 7): typically £20,000 to £30,000 to start, with a degree and no fees at the end.
What to check on the advert
Every apprenticeship advert states the wage, either as an hourly rate or an annual figure, the hours, and whether pay rises each year. Compare the annual figure with the hours: £15,000 for 30 hours is a better rate than £16,000 for 40. Ask at interview how pay changes in year two and on completion. Employers who've thought about it answer quickly.
Pay against the alternatives
Three years of a Level 3 then Level 4 apprenticeship might total £55,000 in pay with no debt. Three years at university costs up to £9,790 a year in fees from 2026/27 plus living costs, mostly as loans, and the median graduate starting salary at large employers was £33,000 in 2025. Both routes can work; the question is which Tuesday you'd rather have, and which qualification the job you want expects.
Illustrative example: reading two adverts
An 18 year old compares two Level 3 business apprenticeships. One pays £8.00 an hour for 37.5 hours; the other £19,500 a year for 35 hours. The second is £10.71 an hour, a third more, with a rise promised in year two. She asks the first employer whether the rate moves after six months. They say no. That settles it.
Questions people ask
- What is the apprentice minimum wage in 2026?
- £8.00 an hour from 1 April 2026, up 45p from £7.55. It applies to apprentices under 19, and to older apprentices during their first year. The government has not yet confirmed the April 2027 apprentice rate, though it has announced a 3.9% rise for the adult and 18-20 rates.
- Do apprentices get paid for college days?
- Yes. Off-the-job training is part of your paid hours, whether it happens at a college, a training centre or at your desk. If you're on a day-release pattern, the college day is paid exactly like a work day. An employer who deducts it is breaking minimum wage law.
- How much do degree apprentices earn?
- It varies by employer and sector, but starting salaries between £20,000 and £30,000 are common at large firms, rising each year of the programme, with no tuition fee to pay. Engineering, digital and finance tend to pay most; public sector and care less. The figure is on the advert, so compare several.
- Do apprentices pay tax and National Insurance?
- Like any employee, you pay income tax on earnings over £12,570 a year and National Insurance above the weekly threshold. On £15,600 that's a small amount of each. Apprentices under 25 cost employers less in National Insurance, which is one reason more firms hire them. You don't repay a student loan on apprentice pay, because there isn't one.
Exercises are practice, not evidence of career fit or a qualification. How to read our guides and report a correction.
Sources
- National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates · GOV.UK
- Become an apprentice · GOV.UK
- Student Recruitment Survey 2025 · Institute of Student Employers
How this page is written
Sources support the factual background, not a guarantee that an exercise predicts career fit. Fictional practice material is labelled. Dates record content updates; no independent expert review is implied. More about OffLadder.