Mini Minds Hub · Free printable
Rates of Pay: Free Printable Worksheet for Year 8
- ForYear 8
- StageKey Stage 3
- CostFree
- FormatPrintable PDF
Rates of Pay is a free printable maths worksheet for Year 8 (ages 12 to 13) in Key Stage 3. Children work out pay from an hourly rate, add overtime at time and a half or double time, and find a rate or a number of hours from totals. It takes about 15 minutes, needs a pencil and a calculator if wanted, and page 2 gives the grown up answers, help and a stretch task.
It comes from the Mini Minds Hub, the free library of printables from Jaques of London, the British games and toy company that has been making games for families since 1795. Print both pages, give page 1 to your child and keep page 2 for yourself. Black and white printing works well.
What is on the sheet
Children work out pay from an hourly rate and a number of hours. Some questions add overtime, paid at time and a half or double time. Others run the other way. Children are given a total and the hours and find the rate, or given the total and the rate and find the hours. There is space under each question for working. The sheet mixes these types, so children must read each one and decide which operation to use.
- 9 pounds an hour for 5 hours
- 12 pounds an hour for 8 hours
- 10 pounds an hour for 6 hours, plus 2 hours at time and a half
- 84 pounds for 7 hours. Pounds per hour?
- 150 pounds for 10 hours. Pounds per hour?
- 56 pounds earned at 8 pounds an hour. How many hours?
- 11 pounds an hour for 4 hours
- 3 hours of double time at 9 pounds an hour
A worked example
A shop assistant earns 14 pounds an hour and works 13 hours. How much is the pay?
This question uses different numbers from the ones on the sheet. It shows two ways to work out the same pay.
Method 1: split the hours- Split 13 hours into 10 hours and 3 hours.
- 10 hours: 14 × 10 = 140 pounds.
- 3 hours: 14 × 3 = 42 pounds.
- Add the two parts: 140 + 42 = 182 pounds.
- Split 14 pounds into 10 pounds and 4 pounds.
- 10 pounds for 13 hours: 10 × 13 = 130 pounds.
- 4 pounds for 13 hours: 4 × 13 = 52 pounds.
- Add the two parts: 130 + 52 = 182 pounds.
Why learn about rates of pay?
A rate compares two amounts, such as pounds for each hour. Pay is one of the first places young people meet rates in real life. Knowing how an hourly rate turns into a total helps them understand a payslip, compare jobs and check that pay is right when they start work, perhaps with a weekend or holiday job in the future.
Overtime adds a twist. Extra hours are sometimes paid at a higher rate, such as time and a half or double time. Children must work out the new rate first, then multiply by the hours, then add everything together. Working in several steps like this builds careful habits that carry over to ratio, proportion and algebra.
Quick facts about pay
- Pay can be given per hour, per day, per week or as a yearly salary.
- Overtime means hours worked beyond a worker's normal hours. Whether it is paid at a higher rate depends on the job and the contract.
- Gross pay is the amount before anything is taken off. Take home pay is what is left after deductions such as tax.
- In the UK there is a legal minimum hourly rate of pay. It depends on age and changes over time.
- A payslip is a record that shows how pay was worked out.
Skills and curriculum link
- Hourly rates
- Multiplying
- Dividing
- Overtime
- Multi step problems
- Checking answers
Ideas that help with pay problems
- A rate means per oneAn hourly rate tells you the pay for one hour. Pay for more hours is that amount repeated, so multiplying is the key idea.
- Work backwards with the opposite operationIf multiplying rate by hours gives the total, then dividing the total by one of them gives the other. Check by multiplying again.
- Break overtime into partsFind the normal pay, find the overtime pay, then add them. Writing each part on its own line keeps the working tidy.
- Estimate firstRound the numbers and work out a rough answer before using a calculator. If the final answer is far from the estimate, look again.
Key words
- RateA comparison of two amounts, such as pounds for each hour.
- Hourly rateThe amount of money paid for one hour of work.
- OvertimeExtra hours worked beyond the normal hours.
- Time and a halfA pay rate of one and a half times the normal rate. It is the normal rate plus half of it again.
- Double timeA pay rate of twice the normal rate.
- Total payAll the money earned, with every part added together.
How to use it
- Print both pages. Page 1 is for your child. Keep page 2, which has the notes and answers.
- Read the first question together. Ask your child what is known and what must be found.
- Let them choose their method. A calculator is fine, but ask for the working to be written down.
- Check against page 2. Ask, "How did you decide whether to multiply or divide?" The reasoning matters as much as the answer.
- Come back another day and redo the questions that felt tricky. Repeating a familiar sheet builds confidence.
Help, stretch and game ideas
If it feels too hard
Start with the first three questions and draw a small table with two columns, hours and pay. Fill in one hour, then two hours, then more, adding the hourly rate each time. Check the final row by multiplying. Move on when the pattern is clear.
To stretch confident children
Work out a whole week's pay. Invent a normal hourly rate and normal hours for five days, then add some overtime at time and a half and some at double time. Write each part on its own line, then find the grand total.
Make it a game
Each player makes up two pay problems, one with overtime and one that finds a rate or hours. Swap papers and solve each other's. Check with a calculator. One point for each correct answer and one for each clear, tidy method.
Mistakes to watch for
Watch forA child adds 1.5 to the rate for time and a half. With a rate of 16 pounds, they get 17.50 pounds.
Try thisTime and a half means one and a half times the rate. Multiply 16 by 1.5 to get 24 pounds. Check that the new rate is about half as much again.
Watch forA child divides the wrong way round when finding a rate. For 195 pounds earned in 15 hours, they work out 15 ÷ 195.
Try thisAsk which amount should be larger. A rate in pounds per hour comes from pounds divided by hours, so work out 195 ÷ 15, which is 13 pounds an hour.
Watch forA child works out the overtime pay and gives that as the total, forgetting the normal hours.
Try thisWrite a short plan first: normal pay, overtime pay, then add. Tick each part off as it is done, and reread the question at the end.
Talk about it
- Why is a rate useful? What does it tell you that a total does not?
- If the hourly rate goes up but the hours stay the same, what happens to the pay?
- Why might an employer pay more for some hours than others?
- How could you check an answer without redoing the whole calculation?
- When you know the total pay and the rate, how can you find the hours? Can you explain it in your own words?
- Is a job that pays more per hour always better? What else might matter?
Take it off the page
Job advert hunt
Look through newspapers, shop windows or leaflets for jobs that show a rate of pay. Pick three and work out what each would pay for the same number of hours.
Pocket money rates
Choose a household task and agree a pretend hourly rate. Time the task, then work out the pay. Try a higher pretend rate for a very busy time.
Shop role play
Take turns being a manager and a worker. The manager sets the hours and rate, and the worker writes a pretend payslip showing the working.
Who it is for
Parents
Sit with your child for the first question, then let them lead. Ask what they know and what they need to find. Ten to fifteen minutes is plenty. If they are stuck, suggest a small table of hours and pay.
Teachers
Use it as a starter, a plenary after teaching rates, an early finisher task or homework. The questions move between finding pay, adding overtime and working backwards, so you can see who chooses the right operation. Page 2 supports mixed ability groups.
Home educators
Pair it with real life examples such as pocket money, a family budget or job adverts. It fits into a wider maths plan on ratio and proportion, and can be reprinted for brothers, sisters or revision a few weeks later.
Where this fits in maths
Before this sheet, children need confident multiplication and division, including with decimals, and an understanding of what a rate or a unit price means. Earlier work on fractions of amounts helps with time and a half.
After this, children can move on to percentages such as tax and pay rises, best buy comparisons, and wider work in the National Curriculum strand on ratio, proportion and rates of change. Writing pay rules as formulas also leads into algebra.
Questions parents and teachers ask
- What age is Rates of Pay for?
It is written for Year 8 (ages 12 to 13) in Key Stage 3. Confident Year 7 children can try it, and Year 9 children can use it as revision before moving on to percentages and ratio.
- What will children practise?
They practise working out pay from an hourly rate, adding overtime at time and a half or double time, and finding a rate or hours from totals. It builds multiplying, dividing and multi step thinking.
- How long does it take?
It takes about 15 minutes. Children who like to write out their working may take a little longer. The notes on page 2 suggest ways to shorten or extend the task.
- Can children use a calculator?
Yes, if needed. The sheet suggests a pencil, with a calculator if needed. Ask children to write down their working too, so you can see the method, and use estimates to check that answers are sensible.
- What if it feels too hard?
Start with the first three questions and use a small table of hours and pay. Adding the hourly rate row by row shows the pattern. Then return to the harder questions another day.
- Is it free, and do I need colour?
Yes, it is free to print for home and classroom use. No colour is needed. It prints well in black and white on plain A4 paper, and you can reprint it for revision.
- Can teachers and home educators use it?
Yes. Teachers can use it as a starter, plenary, early finisher task, homework or table activity with no preparation beyond printing. Home educators and tutors can use it alone or as part of a wider plan.
Preview the full PDF
Made by Jaques of London, making games for families since 1795. A printable supports classroom learning and does not replace a teacher.