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THE APPRENTICE GUIDE

Apprentice lineman pay, step by step.

Lineman apprenticeships commonly pay a percentage of the journeyman rate that rises as you complete each step. Every raise has a date. A paycheck that misses the date, or uses the wrong step, can go unnoticed for months.

An educational guide for U.S. lineworkers. It is not legal, tax, payroll or employment advice, and it does not decide what your agreement or employer owes you. Every dollar figure is a fictional example. Updated ; sources checked .

01 / How apprentice wages are set.

Registered apprenticeships pay progressive wages: pay rises as your skills do, according to the U.S. Department of Labor's apprenticeship program. In many lineman programs, each step is a percentage of the journeyman wage. You advance after meeting the program's requirements, such as hours, classes and evaluations.

Your program's wage schedule and the agreement it sits under are the sources. A schedule from another region or employer isn't a source for yours.

02 / The arithmetic.

Illustrative example only. These percentages and rates are invented to show the math.

Journeyman base rate
$58.40
Step at 75%: $58.40 × 0.75
$43.80 per hour
Next step at 80%: $58.40 × 0.80
$46.72 per hour
Overtime at the 75% step: $43.80 × 1.5
$65.70 per hour

Overtime and double time use the apprentice's own rate. When the journeyman rate rises under the agreement, percentage-based apprentice rates usually rise with it, from the same effective date. Your program's rounding rule decides the last cent.

03 / Two dates to watch.

  • Your step advancement date. Set by the program when you complete a step's requirements.
  • The journeyman wage increase date. Set by the agreement, often once a year.

Either can land mid-period. Hours worked after the effective date should be paid at the new rate. Payroll may also process a raise late and pay the difference later as a retroactive adjustment.

04 / A fictional mid-week step raise.

Illustrative example only. A step advance from 75% to 80% takes effect on a Wednesday. The week is 40 straight-time hours.

Monday–Tuesday: 16 h × $43.80
$700.80
Wednesday–Friday: 24 h × $46.72
$1,121.28
Expected gross wages
$1,822.08
Fictional paystub: 40 h × $43.80
$1,752.00
Possible difference: 24 h × $2.92
$70.08

Small per check, but it repeats every period until the rate is fixed. Ask which rate was used for hours after the effective date, and whether an adjustment is coming.

05 / On prevailing-wage projects.

On federally funded construction covered by the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts, an apprentice can be paid less than the posted rate for the work only if individually registered in a registered apprenticeship program, apart from a short probationary period. Fringe benefits follow the program's terms, or the wage determination if the program doesn't specify them. See 29 CFR 5.5. Whether a particular job is covered is a separate question for the contractor.

06 / What to keep.

  • Your progression record: hours, classes and step sign-offs, with dates.
  • The program wage schedule and each version's effective date.
  • Any written notice of advancement.
  • Your work log and every paystub, so a late raise can be checked hour by hour.

How LinePaycheck handles a raise.

Your rate and rules live in your pay profile. When your step changes, update the rate. Each saved calculation keeps the rule version it used, so earlier paychecks aren't silently recalculated at the new rate. Every ledger line shows the rate it applied, which makes a missed step easy to see. See how the app works.

Common questions.

How much do apprentice linemen make?

Lineman apprenticeships commonly pay a percentage of the journeyman rate, rising with each step. The percentages and the journeyman rate come from your program and agreement, and they differ widely by region and employer, so we do not publish wage figures. Your program's wage schedule is the source.

How do apprentice lineman steps work?

An apprenticeship is divided into steps or periods. You advance when you meet the program's requirements, such as hours worked, classes completed and evaluations passed, and each step usually pays a higher percentage of the journeyman rate. Advancement takes effect on a date set by the program.

Do apprentice linemen get overtime?

Generally yes. Apprentices are typically nonexempt, so federal law requires at least 1.5 times the regular rate after 40 hours in a workweek, and agreements usually apply their daily overtime and double-time rules to apprentices too. Overtime is calculated from the apprentice's own rate, not the journeyman rate.

When does a step raise show up on my paycheck?

From the effective date the program or agreement sets, which may fall in the middle of a pay period. Hours worked after that date should be paid at the new rate. If a raise is processed late, look for a retroactive adjustment on a later paycheck and check that it covers every hour since the effective date.

Do apprentices get the same per diem and benefits as journeymen?

Not necessarily. Per diem, travel pay and employer benefit contributions follow their own clauses, which may or may not scale with the apprentice percentage. Read each clause rather than assuming.

Sources.