National Minimum Wage

The Government sets a National Minimum Wage for UK workers. You are entitled to this whether you work full-time, part-time, on a casual basis, from home, for an agency, or on a short-term contract. There are different current+ rates for 16 and 17 year olds of '3.64 an hour - these go up to '4.92 once you reach 18 and again to '5.93 when you are 21 or over. There are different minimum wage rates for apprentices aged 19 or under or in the first year of their apprenticeship.

Apprenticeship rates

There is a new apprenticeship minimum wage rate - this comes into effect in October 2010. This guarantees an apprentice a minimum wage of '2.50 per hour and applies to:

• Apprentices under 19
• Apprentices aged 19 and over, but in the first year of their apprenticeship.

Some employers will pay more than the legal minimum rates especially after the first year.

+The minimum wage rates given above relate to October 2010 and may change in October 2011.

For more information on the National Minimum Wage you can go online to the directgov website . You can also call the pay and work rights helpline on 0800 917 2368 - for textphones the number is 0800 121 40442.