Answers · UK 2025/26

Do apprentices get the minimum wage in 2026/27?

Yes. Apprentices are entitled to at least the apprentice minimum wage of £8.00 an hour for 2026/27. This rate applies if you are under 19, or 19 or over but in the first year of your apprenticeship. After that you move to the normal age-related minimum wage for your age.

Last updated: 7 June 2026Last reviewed: 7 June 2026How we verify

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Apprentices are legally entitled to the National Minimum Wage, but there is a special lower apprentice rate for some of them. For 2026/27 the apprentice minimum wage is £8.00 an hour. You qualify for this apprentice rate if you are aged under 19, or if you are 19 or over but still in the first year of your apprenticeship. Once you turn 19 and have completed the first year of your apprenticeship, you are entitled to the standard minimum wage for your age band instead. For 2026/27 those rates are £8.00 for the apprentice rate, £10.85 an hour for workers aged 18 to 20, and £12.71 an hour for workers aged 21 and over, which is the National Living Wage. So a 20-year-old who has finished the first year of their apprenticeship must be paid at least £10.85, and a 22-year-old in the same position at least £12.71. Apprentices must also be paid for time spent training as part of the apprenticeship, not just time doing productive work, and they are entitled to the same holiday and other employment rights as other workers. If you think you are being underpaid, you can report it to HMRC, which enforces the minimum wage and can make employers repay arrears. The apprentice rate is a minimum, not a target, and many employers pay more, particularly in later years of an apprenticeship. Use a take-home pay calculator to see what your apprentice wage works out to after tax and National Insurance, although at these levels you are likely below the £12,570 tax threshold.