Apprenticeship Incentives
Incentive payments for hiring a new apprentice, Incentive payments for employers who hire a new apprentice between 1 August 2020 and 31 March 2021.
What you’ll get
We have introduced payments to support employers who hire new apprentices between 1 August 2020 and 31 March 2021. You can apply for the payment until 30 April 2021. For apprentices aged:
- 16 to 24, employers will receive £2,000
- 25 and over, employers will receive £1,500
You can only apply for new apprentices who joined your organisation from 1 August 2020 to 31 March 2021. This includes if you recruit apprentices who have been made redundant. You cannot apply for an existing employee who joined your organisation before 1 August 2020, even if they started an apprenticeship after this date.
What you can use the payment for
The payment is different from apprenticeship levy funds, so you can spend it on anything to support your organisation’s costs. For example, on uniforms, your apprentice’s travel or their salary. You do not have to pay it back.
When you’ll get paid
The government will make the payment in 2 equal instalments for each apprentice.
- The first payment is after an apprentice completes 90 days of their apprenticeship and the second is after 365 days.
To receive the full payment, the apprenticeship must last for at least one year.
Payments will be made by Bacs on the 14th working day of the month. It usually takes 3 working days to process.
After you apply, you can view the estimated payment dates for each apprentice in your apprenticeship service account.
How to apply
You can apply for an incentive payment after you add new apprentices to your apprenticeship service account.
You can apply until 30 April 2021.