Apprentice wage calculator
Enter your age, whether you are in the first year, and your weekly hours. The tool applies the April 2026 apprentice minimum wage, then the age-band rate once you move off it, and shows weekly and annual pay.
Which rate applies to you
The apprentice minimum wage, £8.00 an hour from April 2026, is not for every apprentice forever. It covers two groups: anyone under 19, and anyone of any age still in the first year of their apprenticeship. Once you are both 19 or older and past that first year, the apprentice rate no longer applies and you move to the standard National Minimum Wage for your age.
That handover matters, because the age-band rates are higher: £10.85 an hour at 18 to 20 and £12.71 at 21 and over. A 20-year-old finishing their first year, for example, jumps from £8.00 to £10.85, a real rise for the same hours. The tool checks your age and first-year status and picks the rate that legally applies.
Worked example
Take an 18-year-old apprentice in their first year working 37.5 hours a week. They are on the apprentice rate of £8.00, so weekly pay is £8.00 times 37.5, about £300. Over a year that is roughly £15,600 before tax. Finish the first year and turn 19, and the same hours on the £10.85 rate would pay noticeably more, which is the gain waiting at the end of year one.
Common questions
What is the apprentice minimum wage in 2026?
From 1 April 2026 the apprentice rate is £8.00 an hour. It applies to apprentices under 19, and to apprentices aged 19 or over who are still in the first year of the apprenticeship. After that first year, a 19 or over apprentice moves to the normal minimum wage for their age.
When do I stop getting the apprentice rate?
Once you are 19 or older and have finished the first year of your apprenticeship, whichever comes later. At that point you are entitled to the standard rate for your age: £10.85 at 18 to 20, or £12.71 at 21 and over from April 2026. Many apprentices see a jump in pay at that point.
How much does an apprentice earn a year?
On the £8.00 apprentice rate at 37.5 hours a week, gross pay is about £15,600 a year before tax. The exact figure depends on your contracted hours, and many employers pay above the legal minimum, so treat this as the floor, not a typical wage.
Do apprentices pay tax and National Insurance?
They can, on the same rules as any employee. Income tax starts once pay passes the personal allowance and National Insurance once it passes the primary threshold. On the apprentice rate at full-time hours, pay is low enough that tax is usually small or nil, but it is not automatically exempt.
Does the apprentice rate cover training time?
Yes. You must be paid at least the minimum for all the hours of your apprenticeship, including the off-the-job training time, not just the hours spent working. If your pay divided by your total hours falls below the rate, that is underpayment.