First job, know your worth
Lesson 1 of 16 in our free Work, Payslips & Tax guide: a 5-minute money game with the key points below.
Reading is cool. Playing is cooler.
This lesson is a 5-minute game. Free, no sign-up needed.
The story so far
Mo: GOT THE JOB. Brewed Awakening café. £9 an hour, cash in hand, 'no paperwork, keeps it simple'.
Nana: How old are you, love?
Mo: 20. Why are you making the face.
Chip: Because the legal minimum for a 20-year-old is £10.85 an hour. £9 isn't 'simple', it's underpaying you.
Questions you'll answer
Mo (20) works 20 hours a week at the 18–20 minimum wage of £10.85. What's the weekly pay before deductions?
20 × £10.85 = £217. At £9 an hour it'd be £180 — Mo was losing £37 a week. That's a lot of meal deals.
Dex: 'Cash in hand is the move, bro. No tax, no problem.' What's the catch?
No payslip, no record of hours, no proof for holiday pay, sick pay or a mortgage. Yes. Being 'off the books' mostly protects the employer. A payslip is your receipt for your own labour.
Quick facts
- Paying a 23-year-old barista £12.71 an hour → Legal. That's exactly the 21+ minimum. Legal (if not lavish).
- Paying a 19-year-old £9.50 an hour (not an apprentice) → Not legal. 18–20 minimum is £10.85. Your employer owes you the difference.
- Making you do a 'trial shift' for a full week unpaid → Not legal. A genuine short trial can be unpaid, but a week of real work is work. Work = wages.
- Paying a 17-year-old £8 an hour → Legal. Under-18 minimum is £8. Legal.
- Docking your pay for the uniform so you end up below minimum wage → Not legal. Deductions for things like uniforms can't push your pay below the minimum. Sneaky, and not allowed.
- Not giving you a payslip because 'you're only part-time' → Not legal. Workers are entitled to a payslip, part-time or not. No payslip = red flag.
- Myth: “You can be paid less than minimum wage if you agree to it.” — You can't sign away minimum wage. Even if you 'agreed', they still owe you.
- Fact: “Apprentices under 19, or in their first year, can be paid the apprentice rate.” — £8 an hour in 2026/27. After that, it's the normal rate for their age.
- Fact: “If you're underpaid, you can complain to HMRC even if you've left the job.” — HMRC enforces minimum wage. Acas can also help for free.