Minimum wage in Ireland

Alan Fitzpatrick

Hello,
I am currently working in Eurospar in Dublin. I have been working here for eight weeks now. I am 17 years of age ( so obviously i don't receive the minimum wage).
I was told i would be on 4 euro an hour for the first week or so, as it is regarded as 'training'.
But now i seem to still be on this 4 euro an hour.
This week I worked 30 hours and only received 124 euro.

Is this illegal?
If so what should I do?
Thanks

Boards.ie: Niamh

Hi Alan, I have moved your query to the Work & Jobs forum for you.

Wildly Boaring

Got a payslip?

On emergency tax?

Avatar MIA

Hello Alan,

Legal or not. You might want to rethink your career path. You've a long life ahead of you. And while at 17 it's great to have a bit of money in your pocket, it will not seem so great when your peers start to earn significantly more than you after investing in a few years more of education. End of Dad type lecture.


And it doesn't seem legal. You should (as far as I read it) be on 70% of minimum wage. I'm assuming you're not on an apprenticeship.

Sub-minimum rates

Young employees and people in first 2 years of employment

Since 1 January 2018 the National Minimum Wage Act provides the following sub-minimum rates:

• An employee who is aged under 18 is entitled to €6.69 per hour (70% of the minimum wage)
• An employee who is in the first year of employment since the age of 18 is entitled to €7.64 per hour (80% of minimum wage)
• An employee who is in the second year of employment since the date of first employment over the age of 18 is entitled to €8.60 per hour (90% of the minimum wage)

Avatar MIA

Wildly Boaring wrote: »

Got a payslip?

On emergency tax?

He was told he was on €4 per hour. Plus, even on the starting out emergency tax rate his net pay wouldn't be much different to Gross at that level.

El Grifo

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/employment/employment_rights_and_conditions/pay_and_employment/pay_inc_min_wage.html#l62fd2

Minimum wage applies even under age 18. It's called sub-minimum rates. It's 70% of the minimum so is €6.69 Gross (before deductions) per hour. You need a payslip to see what's happening. If you are on emergency tax you could be losing up to 40% tax and 8% usc out of it. A single person with no other income wouldn't pay any tax even doing 40hours pw at that rate. There would e a very small amount of USC at 0.5%.

I'd start by asking for a payslip for the week you mentioned and then more info could be provided.

It is the employee's responsibility to get a tax credit cert sorted. In the absence of any the employer just emergency taxes you. But you can get that back if tax cert gets sorted.

El Grifo

post duplicated

Faith+1

€4 an hour? I worked for Roches Stores when I was 17 and earned €4.35 per hour and that was in 2002.

Your employer is taking the piss OP. There's plenty of work out so look for something better.

Alan Fitzpatrick

Cheers for the very helpful information.
Got it all sorted today and now it is all good.
Getting €6.69 an hour and pay a tiny amount of USC.

OMM 0000

Alan Fitzpatrick wrote: »

Cheers for the very helpful information.
Got it all sorted today and now it is all good.
Getting €6.69 an hour and pay a tiny amount of USC.

Thanks for the update Alan. Happy to hear you got it sorted.