How much do elevator apprentices make?

Elevator apprentices start at 50% of the journeyman mechanic's rate in their local and rise to 80% by the fourth year. The percentages are set nationally by the IUEC/NEBA agreement, so they are the same at every local — only the mechanic's dollar rate differs. Against the median mechanic rate of $61.41 an hour, that is roughly $30.71 to start and $49.13 in year four.

How long is the elevator apprenticeship?

Four years. The NEBA agreement states the program "shall be for a period of four (4) years" and conforms to US Department of Labor and applicable state apprenticeship council regulations.

Do elevator apprentices get benefits?

Yes. A probationary apprentice becomes eligible for benefits after completing the first six months, and every step from first year onward is paid "plus fringe benefits as provided by the collective bargaining agreement."

What is the difference between an apprentice and a helper?

They are separate classifications. A Helper is paid 70% of the mechanic's rate under the same agreement, while apprentices move up the progressive ladder from 50% toward 80% as they advance through the program.

Set by national agreement

Elevator Apprentice Pay: The National IUEC Ladder

✓ Written by a federally recognized pre-apprenticeship instructor · ✓ Updated September 2026 · ✓ Test facts verified against NEIEP’s official study guide

Elevator apprentices start at 50% of their local's journeyman mechanic rate and reach 80% in the fourth year. Unusually for the building trades, those percentages are national — the same at all 65 IUEC locals. Only the mechanic's dollar rate is negotiated locally.

The ladder

From Article V of the 2022-2027 NEBA Agreement (IUEC / National Elevator Bargaining Association). The dollar column applies each percentage to the median mechanic rate of $61.41 an hour across the locals we have a citable rate for — use it as a yardstick, then check your own local.

Step	% of mechanic rate	Hourly at median	Annual at median
Probationary Apprentice (0-6 months)	50%	$30.71	$63,900
First Year Apprentice	55%	$33.78	$70,300
Second Year Apprentice	65%	$39.92	$83,000
Third Year Apprentice	70%	$42.99	$89,400
Fourth Year Apprentice / Assistant Mechanic	80%	$49.13	$102,200
Journeyman Mechanic (topped out)	100%	$61.41	$127,700

A Helper is a separate classification, not a rung on this ladder — paid 70% of the mechanic’s rate under the same agreement.

Annual figures are the hourly rate at 2,080 hours, before overtime and before the fringe package. They are illustrations against a national median, not a quote for any local. Open your local to see the ladder against its actual rate.

Four years, and benefits from early on

The program runs four years. The first six months are a probationary period at 50% — the agreement notes an apprentice becomes eligible for benefits after completing it, and that the probationary period can run longer than six months in some circumstances. Months 7 to 12 fall under the first-year rate of 55%, and every step from there is paid “plus fringe benefits as provided by the collective bargaining agreement.”

Advancement is annual, and the agreement ties the timing to a fixed date: progressive elevations take effect “the next full pay cycle following September 1st.”

How to check this yourself

A national percentage ladder is the kind of claim worth verifying rather than trusting, so here is the check. IUEC Local 80 (Greensboro / Raleigh-Durham / Winston-Salem, NC) posts its own dollar rates effective January 1, 2026, against a mechanic rate of $53.40. Every step lands exactly on the national percentage:

Local 80 step	Posted hourly	Implied % of mechanic
Probationary	$26.70	50.0%
Year 1	$29.37	55.0%
Year 2	$34.71	65.0%
Year 3	$37.38	70.0%
Year 4 & Assistant Mechanic	$42.72	80.0%

Not approximately — exactly. That is one local’s independent posting reproducing the national schedule, which is the strongest available evidence the ladder is live in 2026 and not a historical artefact.

A second, independent check on the same mechanism: comparing 6 locals’ own published 2020 mechanic rates with their 2026 federal determinations implies annual growth of 3.27% — with a standard deviation of 0.05 percentage points across six different locals in six different states. Locals bargaining independently do not move in that kind of lockstep; one national agreement does.

What that means next to the rest of the trade

Elevator work has the highest median pay in construction — $109,910 a year, $52.84 an hour, as of May 2025 across $24,700 jobs. An apprentice starting at 50% is therefore starting from a high base: $30.71 an hour against the median mechanic rate, with no tuition and a raise every year.

The catch is access, not pay. There are only about $24,700 jobs in the whole occupation and intake runs through NEIEP’s 82 recruitment areas, each opening roughly every two years — some closing in under 36 hours.

See which recruitment windows are open and get an alert when yours does.
Practise the EIAT — passing it is the gate, and the interview after it sets your rank.

Related Resources

IUEC pay scales by local (2026)

Mechanic rates for 21 locals, each with this ladder in dollars.

Elevator mechanic salary

What the trade pays once you have topped out.

How to become an elevator constructor

Window, EIAT, tool assessment, ranked interview, indenture.

What is on the EIAT

The verified NEIEP format: 100 questions, 70% to pass.

Sources: 2022-2027 NEBA Agreement (IUEC / National Elevator Bargaining Association) — Article V, Par. 5-6 (wages); Article XIX, Par. 2 (program length); IUEC Local 80’s posted wage rates; 2026 federal wage determinations; and BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers (May 2025).

Facts on this page trace to primary sources (NEIEP’s official study guide, BLS data) — see sources & methodology. Independent — not affiliated with or endorsed by the IUEC, NEIEP, or any union or testing organization.