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The minimum amount you must pay your apprentices depends on their age and how far along the programme they are.


Apprentices 16-18, or any age and in their first year of the apprenticeship, are entitled to the national apprenticeship minimum wage of £4.81 per hour.
After the first year of their apprenticeship, if they are over 19, they are entitled to the national minimum wage for their age.
This is a minimum amount, and there is no maximum, many employers pay their apprentices above minimum wage but this is entirely up to you.

Below shows you exactly what you should be paying your apprentices and is correct as of April 2023.

Age

Minimum hourly wage

16-18

£5.28

19+, in year 1 of apprenticeship

£5.28

19+, in year 2+ of apprenticeship

£7.49

21+, in year 2+ of apprenticeship

£10.18

23+, in year 2+ of apprenticeship

£10.42

Paying employer National Insurance contributions

You may not need to pay Class 1 National Insurance contributions for your apprentice, if the apprentice is:

  1. under 25 years old
  2. on an approved UK government apprenticeship standard or framework (these can differ depending on country)
  3. earns less than £967 a week (£50,270 a year)

If you're ever in doubt, the Gov website will always have the most up-to-date information

Gov.uk
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