From 1 April 2026 the UK National Living Wage is £12.71 an hour for workers aged 21 and over. The National Minimum Wage is £10.85 for 18 to 20 year olds and £8.00 for under 18s, and the apprentice rate is also £8.00. These rates apply across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and they stay in place until at least 31 March 2027.
This guide explains each rate, who qualifies for which one, how to turn an hourly rate into weekly and yearly pay, and the deductions that can quietly push you below the legal minimum. If you want a quick answer for your own job, try my free minimum wage checker, which shows any shortfall per hour, week and year.
The official figures come from the GOV.UK National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates page:
In percentage terms, that is a rise of about 4.1% for the National Living Wage, 8.5% for 18 to 20 year olds and 6.0% for under 18s and apprentices. The bigger rise for younger workers reflects the government's plan to narrow the gap between the youth rate and the adult rate.
Rates always change on 1 April. Your employer must pay the new rate from the first pay reference period that starts on or after that date.
Hourly rates are easy to compare, but most people budget by the week or month. Here are the figures for a full-time worker on 37.5 hours a week at the National Living Wage:
The same hours in 2025/26 paid £23,809.50 a year, so a full-time worker on the National Living Wage gains £975 a year before tax.
For an 18 to 20 year old working the same hours, the minimum is £406.88 a week or about £21,157 a year. For a 40-hour week at £12.71, the yearly gross is £26,436.80.
These are gross amounts before income tax and National Insurance. My guide on how much tax you will pay on your salary shows how to turn them into take-home pay.
The rate depends on your age and on whether you are an apprentice. Since 1 April 2024 the National Living Wage has applied from age 21. Before that it started at 23, and before April 2021 it started at 25.
You must be over school leaving age, usually 16, to get the minimum wage. According to GOV.UK's guide on who gets the minimum wage, you are entitled to it if you are:
A contract that pays less than the minimum wage is not legally binding on that point. You are still entitled to the correct rate even if you signed it.
Apprentices often get confused by the rules, so here they are in plain terms. You can be paid the apprentice rate of £8.00 an hour if you are:
Once you are 19 or over and have finished the first year, you must get the full minimum wage for your age. GOV.UK gives two clear examples. An apprentice aged 21 in the first year can be paid £8.00. An apprentice aged 21 who has completed the first year must get £12.71.
Apprentices must also be paid for time spent on off-the-job training, including college days. Many employers pay more than the minimum, so check your contract too.
Some groups do not get the National Minimum Wage. GOV.UK lists, among others:
If you are self-employed and run your own business, the minimum wage does not apply either. Some people are labelled self-employed when they are actually workers, though. If someone else controls your hours and tasks, you may still be entitled.
This is where many people lose money without realising. Your pay can look fine on paper and still fall below the legal minimum after certain deductions. GOV.UK's guidance for employers says these reduce your pay for minimum wage purposes:
Tips, service charges and cover charges never count towards the minimum wage. Your employer must pay at least £12.71 an hour from their own funds before any tips.
GOV.UK gives a worked example. A worker earns £520 a week but pays £15 a week to rent a uniform that the employer does not refund. After the deduction, their pay for minimum wage purposes works out at £12.67 an hour, which is below £12.71. The employer has broken the law even though the headline hourly rate looked compliant.
Underpayment also happens when some working time goes unpaid. Common examples include:
If your total pay divided by all the hours you actually worked falls below the right rate, you have been underpaid. Holiday pay is a separate entitlement, which I cover in how much holiday you are entitled to in the UK.
Salaried workers are covered too. If you get a fixed annual salary, divide it by the hours you are contracted to work in a year, and check the result against the rate for your age. Long unpaid overtime can push a salaried worker below the minimum without anyone noticing.
Follow these steps for any pay period:
Here is the check in a few lines of Python. I used it to verify the examples above:
RATES_2026 = {"21+": 12.71, "18-20": 10.85, "under18": 8.00, "apprentice": 8.00}
def check(pay, deductions, hours, band):
hourly = (pay - deductions) / hours
shortfall = max(0, RATES_2026[band] - hourly) * hours
return round(hourly, 2), round(shortfall, 2)
print(check(476.63, 0, 37.5, "21+")) # (12.71, 0.0)
print(check(450.00, 0, 37.5, "21+")) # (12.0, 26.63)
Start by raising the problem with your employer, ideally in writing, and keep copies of your payslips, rotas and any messages about hours. Many errors are genuine payroll mistakes that get fixed quickly.
If that does not work, contact Acas for free, confidential advice, or complain to HMRC. HMRC can inspect payment records at any time. If it finds underpayment, the employer must pay the arrears straight away at today's rates, can be fined, and may be publicly named. Not paying the minimum wage, or faking pay records, is a criminal offence.
Employers must keep minimum wage records for at least six years, so you can ask for them. You can also make a claim at an employment tribunal, usually after going through Acas early conciliation.
From 1 April 2026 it is £12.71 an hour for workers aged 21 and over, £10.85 for 18 to 20 year olds, £8.00 for under 18s and £8.00 for apprentices who qualify for the apprentice rate.
At 37.5 hours a week for 52 weeks, £12.71 an hour comes to £24,784.50 a year before tax. At 40 hours a week it is £26,436.80.
£10.85 an hour, unless they are an apprentice, in which case the employer can pay the apprentice rate of £8.00.
Rates change on 1 April each year. The next rise is due on 1 April 2027, and the government normally announces the new figures in the autumn before, based on Low Pay Commission advice.
No. Tips, service charges and cover charges do not count. Your employer must pay at least the minimum wage without them.
They can, but if the cost takes your pay below the minimum wage for the hours you worked, the employer is breaking the law and owes you the difference.
Yes. The National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage are UK-wide, unlike income tax bands, which differ in Scotland.
No. The National Living Wage is the legal minimum set by the government. The Real Living Wage is a voluntary rate set by the Living Wage Foundation that some employers choose to pay.
The April 2026 rise puts £975 a year into the pocket of a full-time worker on the National Living Wage, and more for younger workers in percentage terms. The headline rate only helps if you actually receive it, though, so check your pay against your real hours and deductions at least once a year.
All rates in this article come from GOV.UK and were checked on 13 October 2026. They are not legal advice. If you think you are underpaid, Acas is the best free first step.
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