Answers · UK 2025/26
How does the apprentice National Minimum Wage rate work in the first year?
Apprentices are entitled to the Apprentice Rate (£8.00 an hour in 2026/27) only if they are either under 19, or 19 or over and in the first year of their apprenticeship. From the second year onward, an apprentice aged 19 or over must be paid at least the normal minimum wage rate for their age instead.
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The Apprentice Rate is a separate, lower minimum wage band that applies specifically to apprentices, set at £8.00 an hour for 2026/27 -- the same rate as the 16-17 Young Workers band. Eligibility for the Apprentice Rate depends on both age and how far into the apprenticeship the worker is, which trips up many employers. An apprentice is entitled to the Apprentice Rate if either of two conditions is met: they are aged under 19 (in which case the Apprentice Rate applies for the whole apprenticeship, regardless of how many years it runs), or they are aged 19 or over but still in the first year of their current apprenticeship. Once an apprentice turns 19 and has also completed the first year of their apprenticeship, both conditions for the lower rate stop applying, and the employer must move them onto the normal age-related National Minimum Wage band from that point onward -- the Development Rate (£10.85 an hour) for 18-20 year-olds, or the National Living Wage (£12.71 an hour) for those 21 and over. In practice this means a 22-year-old starting a three-year apprenticeship is entitled only to £8.00 an hour for their first year, since they meet the 'first year' condition regardless of being well over 19, but must then be paid at least £12.71 an hour (the National Living Wage for their age, as an adult over 21) for the remaining two years of the apprenticeship. This creates a significant pay jump exactly at the one-year mark for apprentices who started aged 19 or over, and employers frequently make errors either by keeping apprentices on the Apprentice Rate for too long, or by miscalculating the exact anniversary date when the first year ends. The 'first year' is measured from the start date of the current apprenticeship agreement, not from age 19, so an apprentice who is already 25 when they begin a new apprenticeship still only gets one year at the lower rate before their age-band rate applies. Use the minimum wage calculator to check the correct rate for an apprentice's age and time served.
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This answer is informational only and does not constitute financial, tax or legal advice. Figures are for the 2025/26 UK tax year. See our methodology and sources.