Your obligations when you employ an apprentice

Two sets of rules apply at the same time

Your apprentice is an employee. The Fair Work Act, the National Employment Standards and the modern award or enterprise agreement that covers your business all apply, the same as for any other worker.

On top of that, you sign a training contract that is approved and registered under state or territory law. That contract carries its own duties: providing real training, releasing the apprentice for off the job study, following a training plan, and only ending the contract through the proper process.

If a group training organisation (GTO) employs the apprentice and places them with you as a host, the GTO handles pay and the training contract, but you still share safety and supervision duties. See Group training (GTO) or hire directly? An employer guide. If you have not found someone yet, start with How to hire an apprentice in Australia: a step by step guide for employers, and /match lets ABN-verified employers browse apprentice candidates who have opted in.

Pay at least the award or agreement rate

Apprentice minimum rates are set in the award (or your enterprise agreement, if you have one) and usually step up each year or stage of the apprenticeship. You must pay at least that rate for every hour worked, plus any penalty rates, overtime and allowances the award sets.

Many awards have separate rates for junior apprentices and adult apprentices. In a number of trade awards an adult apprentice is someone who is 21 or over when they sign the training contract, but the exact test differs between awards, so read the definitions clause. Adult apprentices usually get a higher minimum rate, and an existing employee who switches into an apprenticeship with you generally cannot have their pay cut.

Some awards also pay a higher apprentice percentage to apprentices who have completed Year 12, and some have different rules depending on when the apprenticeship started. Because these details vary so much, do not work rates out from memory or from a mate's payslip. Use the Fair Work Pay Calculator at https://calculate.fairwork.gov.au/ for the award that covers your business, and recheck it every 1 July when minimum rates change. For the apprentice side of the story, see Apprentice wages in Australia.

• •Which award covers your business (for example electrical contracting, plumbing, on-site building and construction, joinery, manufacturing or vehicle repair)
• •The apprentice's year or stage of the apprenticeship
• •Whether they are a junior or adult apprentice under that award's definition
• •Whether they completed Year 12, where the award makes that matter
• •Whether they are full time, part time or school-based

Time at off the job training is paid work

You must release your apprentice to attend off the job training and assessment, and pay them for it. The Fair Work Ombudsman treats time at trade school as paid time that counts towards ordinary hours. You cannot dock their pay for TAFE days or make them make up the hours on site.

The exception is time they simply skip without being on approved leave. School-based apprentices are treated differently under many awards, and some awards also deal with extra travel costs when block release means travelling away. Check the training clause in your award.

Training fees, textbooks and tool allowances

Many awards require you to reimburse your apprentice for course fees charged by the registered training organisation (RTO) and for prescribed textbooks. The Fair Work Ombudsman notes common exceptions: where the apprentice is not making satisfactory progress, where you paid the RTO directly, where they no longer work for you when the reimbursement falls due, or where government funding already covered the cost. The deadline for reimbursing varies between awards, so check yours. Paying the RTO directly is often the simplest approach.

Some trade awards require a tool allowance unless you supply the tools. The rules differ: under the Building and Construction General On-site Award apprentices get the full tool allowance, while under the Plumbing and Fire Sprinklers Award junior apprentices generally get the apprentice percentage of it, and you can reimburse the cost of required tools instead of paying the allowance. Other allowances can apply too, such as clothing, fares and travel, or site allowances.

The Pay Calculator lists the allowances in each award. Do not assume one rule applies across trades.

Superannuation and other entitlements

Apprentices get super like other employees. As at November 2026 the super guarantee rate is 12% of qualifying earnings. Payday Super started on 1 July 2026, so super now has to reach the employee's fund within 7 business days after each payday, not quarterly. You also report qualifying earnings through Single Touch Payroll each payday, and the ATO's Small Business Superannuation Clearing House closed on 1 July 2026.

Employees under 18 are only eligible for super guarantee if they work more than 30 hours a week, which a full time apprentice usually does. Apprentices also get the National Employment Standards: annual leave, personal and carer's leave, public holidays and the rest. Check the ATO's super pages or your accountant if you are unsure how this applies to your payroll.

Supervision and a safe workplace

Under work health and safety laws you must give your workers the information, training, instruction and supervision they need to stay safe. Safe Work Australia's guidance is that young and new workers need closer and more regular supervision than experienced workers, until they are competent. Many first-year apprentices are both.

In practice that means a proper induction, PPE, being shown how to do a task before being left to do it, and someone experienced checking their work. Keep a record of the induction and the safety training you give. The National Code of Good Practice also expects a workplace free from bullying, harassment, abuse and discrimination, and supervision by an experienced, suitably qualified or licensed person.

Supervision rules for the trade itself sit with the states. South Australia, for example, sets supervision ratios by risk level, and electrical and plumbing regulators set rules for apprentices doing licensed work. Some licensed tasks also have minimum age requirements. Check with your state training authority and your trade's licensing regulator before you leave an apprentice to work alone.

The training contract and the training plan

The training contract must be signed and lodged within your state's deadline. In NSW it has to reach Training Services within 28 days of the person starting as an apprentice. In Victoria you first need approval from the VRQA as an employer, then have 14 days to contact an Apprentice Connect Australia Provider. A provider will prepare and lodge the paperwork for free.

The training plan is worked out with the apprentice and the RTO and should be done during probation. It lists the units they will complete and what you will cover on the job. You must then deliver it. In Queensland, for example, employers must update the plan within 28 days when it needs changing and check the training record with the RTO at least every 3 months.

• •Give them a range of work that matches the qualification, not just one repetitive task
• •Provide suitable facilities, equipment and qualified supervisors
• •Sign off competencies as they are achieved on the job
• •Tell the training authority about changes, such as the business being sold or the apprentice leaving during probation
• •Apply to vary the contract if the term needs to change, for example to recognise prior skills

Payslips and record keeping

You must give your apprentice a payslip within one working day of payday, on paper or electronically. Time and wage records must be kept for 7 years, be readable in English, and not be altered except to fix an error. Fair Work Inspectors can issue infringement notices for missing payslips or records.

Also keep the training side on file: the signed contract and plan, induction and safety records, fee and textbook reimbursements, and competency sign-offs. If there is ever a dispute about pay or a cancellation, good records protect you.

Probation, suspension and cancellation (state based)

Probation applies to the training contract and its length is set by each state. In Victoria it is usually between 30 and 90 days. In NSW apprenticeships have up to 3 months. In Queensland probation cannot run past 6 months from the start of the contract. In South Australia it depends on the qualification. During probation either party can generally cancel.

After probation, ending an apprenticeship is much harder. It usually needs both parties to agree, or a decision from the training authority. In Victoria the VRQA can make a binding decision on a disputed apprenticeship cancellation. If work dries up, a suspension may be an option: it is generally agreed, for a fixed period, and treated as a last resort. In Victoria a suspension for a business downturn is capped at up to 6 months, and in Victoria a new owner who buys the business must continue an existing apprenticeship.

Ending the training contract and ending the employment are linked but involve separate rules, including unfair dismissal laws. Do not simply stop rostering an apprentice. Talk to your Apprentice Connect Australia Provider or state training authority, and get employment advice, before you act. For state details, see the guides such as Apprenticeships in NSW: incentives, fee-free training and where to start, Apprenticeships in Victoria: incentives, Free TAFE and where to start, Apprenticeships in Queensland: incentives, free training and where to start and Apprenticeships in WA: incentives, fees and where to start.

What you cannot do

• •Run long unpaid trials. A short unpaid trial is only lawful if it is just long enough to show relevant skills (usually an hour up to a single shift), directly supervised, and not productive work for your business. Otherwise pay the trial at the correct rate.
• •Pay a flat cash rate that ends up below the award once overtime, penalties and allowances are counted
• •Dock pay for trade school days, or make the apprentice pay their own course fees where your award says you reimburse them
• •Use an apprentice as cheap labour without real training. Training authorities can cancel contracts and stop employers taking on apprentices, for example through South Australia's Prohibited Employer Register and the VRQA's power to revoke employer approval.
• •Cancel the training contract outside probation without following your state's process
• •Leave an apprentice unsupervised on work they are not yet competent or licensed to do
• •Tolerate bullying, initiation rituals or harassment on site

Where to get help

Ask early. Most problems with apprentices are easier to fix in the first few weeks than after months of underpayment or a breakdown in the relationship.

• •Fair Work Ombudsman: pay rates, allowances, payslips and award questions. Use the Pay Calculator or call the Fair Work Infoline on 13 13 94.
• •Your state or territory training authority: training contracts, probation, supervision rules, suspension and cancellation
• •Your Apprentice Connect Australia Provider: free help with sign-up, the training plan, incentives and disputes. Find one through apprenticeships.gov.au.
• •Your state WHS regulator and Safe Work Australia: safety duties and young worker guidance
• •Your industry association, accountant or an employment lawyer for advice on your specific situation
• •Incentives and funding are covered separately at Apprentice employer incentives in Australia: what you can claim