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Apprentice numbers

What does an apprentice really cost — and when do they pay for themselves?

An apprentice looks expensive in week one and pays you back later — the trick is knowing how long that takes. Punch in your real numbers and we'll show you the true cost and the week they break even.

The numbers you enter

$
Hair & Beauty Award Yr1 ballpark. Verify your year/age step at fairwork.gov.au.
Full-time ordinary hours are 38/week.
Paid time the apprentice is at TAFE, not on the floor.
%
Super Guarantee is 12% from 1 Jul 2025.
%
Workers comp ~1.5% plus annual/personal leave accrual on top of wages.
$
Colour, product the apprentice uses, kit, course fees you cover.
Time a senior spends teaching instead of earning.
$
Senior's wage plus super and on-costs.
$
Employer incentives change 1 Jan 2026 — check what you actually get and enter it here.
Hours they currently do paid client work unaided.
How fast their chair fills as they learn.
$
Average ticket for the services they do, GST excluded.
Time per service including setup.

What the numbers mean

Year-one net cost (after subsidies + their billings)
$31,787
An apprentice costs you about $31,787 in year one once you net off what they bill and any subsidy. That's an investment in your next senior, not a loss — as long as their chair keeps filling.
All-in weekly cost
$1,198
Wage, super, on-costs, supplies and senior mentoring time.
Break-even week
136
Week their cumulative billings cover their cumulative cost.
Weekly net once fully booked
$615
When their chair is full, this is what they add each week.
Net per week right now
-$931
Today's billings minus today's cost — expected to be negative early.
Where it goes
Weekly cost$1,198
Revenue now$267
Revenue fully booked$1,813

How this is worked out

Weekly cost = wage (rate × rostered hours) + super + on-costs + senior mentoring time + supplies. Billable hours start at today's figure and step up each quarter by your ramp amount, capped at rostered hours minus training (they can't bill while at TAFE). Revenue = billable hours ÷ service length × average ticket, all GST-exclusive to match GST-free wages. Break-even runs week by week (up to a 4-year, 208-week term), adding net each week plus your one-off subsidy, and reports the first week the running total turns positive — 0 means it never breaks even within the term, which means the chair isn't filling fast enough. Award rates (Hair & Beauty MA000005) and apprentice incentives are ballpark and change over time — verify your exact year/age step and current incentives at fairwork.gov.au. Not tax or industrial-relations advice.

A working tool, not financial advice. It uses the figures and assumptions you enter — check them against your own numbers and your accountant before any pricing, wage or financial decision. Award and tax figures change (often each 1 July); verify current rates at fairwork.gov.au and ato.gov.au. Shear Profit gives no tax or financial advice.

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