Minimum wage rates: National Living Wage is £12.71 now and £13.21 from April

Correct as at 9 November 2026.

The National Living Wage for workers aged 21 and over is £12.71 an hour, and it is due to rise to £13.21 on 1 April 2027.

What are the rates now and from April 2027?

The official rate table sets out four hourly rates, which change on 1 April every year.

• Aged 21 and over: £12.71 now, £13.21 from April 2027.
• Aged 18 to 20: £10.85 now, £11.27 from April 2027.
• Under 18: £8 now, £8.31 from April 2027.
• Apprentice: £8 now, £8.31 from April 2027.

The 2027 figures match those recommended by the Low Pay Commission, which put each increase at 3.9%: 50p for the adult rate, 42p for 18 to 20, and 31p for under 18 and apprentices.

The commission also recommended raising the accommodation offset by 43p to £11.53.

Who is entitled to the National Living Wage?

Workers must be 21 or over to get the National Living Wage, while the National Minimum Wage applies to those under 21 and to apprentices, Acas said.

Workers must also be at least school leaving age to receive the National Minimum Wage at all.

The rules cover part-time, casual and agency workers, homeworkers, trainees, disabled workers, agricultural workers and au pairs who are treated as one of the family, among others.

Employers can pay more than the minimum wage, Acas said, and any contract paying less is not legally binding, so the worker is still entitled to the correct rate.

How does the apprentice rate work?

The apprentice rate applies to anyone under 19, and to those aged 19 or over who are in the first year of their apprenticeship.

GOV.UK gives a worked example: an apprentice aged 21 in the first year is entitled to a minimum of £8 an hour.

An apprentice of the same age who has completed the first year is entitled to £12.71, the rate for their age.

Does it apply if pay is not by the hour?

Yes. The minimum wage is worked out as an hourly rate but applies to all eligible workers even if they are not paid by the hour.

Salaried staff, piece-rate workers and others therefore need an equivalent hourly figure worked out to see whether the minimum is being met.

Working time includes time on standby near the workplace, training, and travel between assignments, but not travel between home and work, or rest breaks.

Who is not entitled?

The official list of exclusions includes self-employed people running their own business and company directors.

It also covers volunteers, members of the armed forces, prisoners, share fishermen and workers younger than school leaving age, usually 16.

Higher and further education students on work experience of up to one year and people shadowing others at work are also excluded.

Employers who offer internships should check whether the person is entitled to the minimum wage, the guidance says.

What were the previous rates?

From April 2025 to March 2026 the rates were £12.21 for those 21 and over, £10 for 18 to 20, and £7.55 for under 18 and apprentices.

In the year from April 2024 they were £11.44, £8.60, and £6.40 for under 18s and apprentices.

Since 1 April 2024 the National Living Wage has applied to those aged 21 and over.

Between 1 April 2021 and 31 March 2024 it applied from age 23, and before 1 April 2021 from age 25.

How can pay be checked?

GOV.UK offers a minimum wage calculator to check whether the correct rate is being paid and whether past underpayments are owed.

Workers who think they are not getting the minimum wage can contact Acas, the official guidance said.

Why is the 2027 rise not larger?

The Low Pay Commission said its recommendation is “below our best estimate” of the rate needed to reach two thirds of median earnings by October 2027.

It put that estimated rate at £13.44, a rise of 5.7%, because wage growth in 2026 came in ahead of earlier predictions.

The commission said the negotiations were among the most difficult since the National Living Wage was introduced, citing an uncertain economic outlook and the need to balance workers and employers.

On younger workers, it said youth unemployment remains above its covid peak and it favoured prioritising youth employment over faster progress towards an 18-year-old threshold.

When do the new rates start?

The next change takes effect on 1 April 2027, when the rates listed above apply.