Apprentice Electrician Salary in the UK (2026 Pay Guide)

From April 2026, the apprentice minimum is £8 an hour if you are under 19 or in your first year; apprentices aged 19 or over who have completed year one get their age-related minimum.

The GOV.UK minimum wage table gives £10.85 an hour for ages 18–20 and £12.71 for ages 21+ from April 2026. For apprentices aged 19 or over, the age-related rate applies after the first year. These legal floors do not establish an electrical apprentice average or a maximum salary.

At £8 an hour for 37.5 paid hours a week, gross pay is £300 weekly or £15,600 over 52 paid weeks. This assumes the same rate and hours throughout; it is not take-home pay or a promise of a full year at that rate. At £10.85 on the same assumptions it is £21,157.50; at £12.71 it is £24,784.50. Your age, apprenticeship year, rate changes and contracted hours determine which calculation is relevant.

Use the general apprenticeship wage guide and calculator for the shared legal rules. This page focuses on the terms of an electrical apprenticeship offer.

There is no universal year-by-year electrical apprentice salary ladder in the evidence used here. Ask the employer for its written starting rate, progression conditions, paid training time, overtime and travel terms. Any industry agreement quoted in an offer needs to be checked for its coverage and effective date. Do not assume that turning 19 removes the apprentice rate while you are still in year one.

Confirm the apprenticeship qualification and training provider, supervision, paid hours and workplace location. In England, the Installation and Maintenance Electrician standard (ST0152 v1.2) lists 54 months of training and a six-month assessment period as typical. This is one route: the National Careers Service also lists a separate Domestic Electrician apprenticeship, so confirm the duration of your actual programme.

For England, GOV.UK pay and conditions explains paid training and employment conditions. Training systems differ across the UK; check the appropriate national service. Compare current electrical apprenticeships, then ask the employer to resolve anything missing from the offer.