A National Minimum Wage (NMW) refers to the lowest level of pay that is legally allowed.  In most countries, NMW gets set at an hourly rate considering that a weekly or monthly rate might be impossible since everyone doesn’t work the same number of hours or weeks each month. The National Minimum Wage typically varies depending on factors such as age, geographical differences as well as the level of economic growth. Here in the UK, a special rate has been set for apprentices who are younger than 19 years old or are in their first year of apprenticeship.

It is also worthy to note that a National Living Wage applies to employees who are 25 years or older, except for people who are in their first year of apprenticeship. This, therefore, implies that if you are 25 and you are a first-year apprentice, you would be paid according to the National Minimum Wage for apprenticeship and not the National Living Wage. The NMW rates will apply to all workers aged below 25 as well as to all people in their first year of apprenticeship.

The National Minimum Wage rates generally change from October, rather than from the 1st of April. Nevertheless, the changes to the National Minimum Wage rate of an apprentice who is over 19 years and has completed the first year of apprenticeship is often reflected in the next pay period and not necessarily from the exact date of the change.

The table below summarizes the rates of NMW according to age 

These following two examples will also give you an apt understanding of how the changes in National Minimum Wage happen. Please note some of the rates of pay below refer to older NMW, which are not shown in the table above. 

The first scenario is Charles who was born in November 1996. He, however, began his two-year apprenticeship on September 1st 2017. Between September 1st, 2017 and April 2018, Charles was paid an NMW of between £3.70 and £3.90 per hour, considering that his rates changed on April 1st 2018. Nevertheless, between September 1st, 2018 and 31ST March 2019, Charles’ NMW rose to £7.70 per hour since he completed his first year of apprenticeship and fitted into the 21 and over section.

The second case scenario is Jane, who had a three-year apprenticeship, which began on September 6th 2016. By May 2017, she was just 17 years old. However, between September 6th, 2016 and March 31st 2017, her NMW had increased from £3.30 to £3.40 beginning from October 1ST 2016, which is the time NMW used to change annually. Her NMW further increased from £3.50 as of April 1st 2017, to £3.90 per hour by May 15th 2019. But by May 16th, 2019, Jane’s NMW rate changed to £6.15 per hour since she was now 19 and had completed more than a year of her apprenticeship. Of course, the change in Jane’s NMW was effected by the beginning of the pay period after her 19th birthday and not from the actual date of his birth.