Employing an apprentice
Get funding for apprenticeship training
You can get help from the government to pay for apprenticeship training.
You might be able to get an additional payment of £1,000, depending on the apprentice you hire.
What funding you can get
You can get money to go towards the cost of training and assessment. The amount you get depends on whether you pay the apprenticeship levy or not.
Find out if you need to pay the apprenticeship levy.
If you do not pay the apprenticeship levy
You pay 5% towards the cost of training and assessing your apprentice. You need to:
- agree a payment schedule with the training provider
- pay them directly for the training
The government will pay the rest (95%) up to the funding band maximum. They’ll pay it directly to the training provider.
If your apprentice started before 1 April 2019, you contribute 10% towards the cost of training and assessing your apprentice and the government pays the rest (90%). This rate continues until your apprentice completes their training.
Use your apprenticeships service account to manage funding and provider payments.
The cost of training and assessing your apprentice could be fully funded, up to the funding band maximum, depending on both your and your apprentice’s circumstances. Check the funding rules to see if you’re eligible.
If you pay the apprenticeship levy
You’ll get funds to spend on training and assessing your apprentices. The government will add 10%.
Find out how to pay the apprenticeship levy.
Use your apprenticeships service account to manage funding and provider payments.
You cannot use funds from your apprenticeship service account to pay for a flexi-job apprenticeship agency’s services.
Help to pay for other costs
You can get £1,000 to support your apprentice in the workplace if, at the start of their apprenticeship training, they are one of the following:
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16 to 18 years old (or 15 years old if the apprentice’s 16th birthday is between the last Friday of June and 31 August)
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19 to 24 years old with an education, health and care (EHC) plan
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19 to 24 years old and have been in care
You can spend it on any costs related to their employment, for example their salary, travel costs or uniform.
How and when you’ll be paid
The training provider will pay you once they’ve confirmed that an apprentice is eligible. You’ll be paid in 2 instalments of £500.
You’ll get the first payment 90 days after the apprenticeship started and the second payment one year after the apprenticeship started. (Training providers must pay you within 30 working days of receiving the money from the government.)
You’ll only get paid if the apprentice is still employed by you when the payment is due.
If an apprentice has an education, health and care (EHC) plan or has been in care, the training provider must get the apprentice’s agreement before sharing this information with you. The training provider will also need this agreement before making any payments to you.