Official minimum rates of pay for 2.7 million workers across the UK increased on 1 April 2026. The National Living Wage for individuals aged 21 and over is now £12.71 an hour, a 50p increase from 2025.
For a full-time worker, this amounts to an annual income of £24,784.50, an increase of £900. The National Minimum Wage for 18 to 20-year-olds also rose to £10.85 an hour, an 85p per hour increase, which translates to an additional £1,500 a year for a full-time employee. The minimum wage for 16 and 17-year-olds increased to £8 an hour.
Apprentices aged 16 to 18, or those aged 19 and in their first year, are entitled to £8 an hour. Apprentices over 19 or who have completed their first year are entitled to the appropriate National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage rate for their age.
Separately, the Living Wage Foundation, a charity, announced in October 2026 that its unofficial Real Living Wage would increase by 4.8% to £14.10 an hour for the UK, and by 4.4% to £15.45 for workers in London. This voluntary rate is paid by nearly 17,000 firms to almost 500,000 employees.
It is a criminal offence for employers not to pay the correct National Minimum and Living Wages to eligible employees. In March 2026, the government stated that 389 employers had been fined approximately £12.6m for underpaying staff, and were required to repay £7.3m to around 60,000 workers.