National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates
The hourly rate for the minimum wage depends on your age and whetheryou’re an apprentice.
This page is also availablein Welsh (Cymraeg).
You must be at least:
- school leaving age to get the National Minimum Wage
- aged 21 to get the National Living Wage - the minimum wage will still apply for workers aged 20 and under
Current rates
The rates change on 1 April every year.
| 21 and over | 18 to 20 | Under 18 | Apprentice | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 2025 | £12.21 | £10 | £7.55 | £7.55 |
| April 2026 | £12.71 | £10.85 | £8 | £8 |
Apprentices
Apprentices are entitled to the apprentice rate if they’re either:
- aged under 19
- aged 19 or over and in the first year of their apprenticeship
Example
An apprentice aged 21 in the first year of their apprenticeship is entitled to a minimum hourly rate of £7.55.
Apprentices are entitled to the minimum wage for their age if they both:
- are aged 19 or over
- have completed the first year of their apprenticeship
Example
An apprentice aged 21 who has completed the first year of their apprenticeship is entitled to a minimum hourly rate of £12.21.
Previous rates
The following rates were for the National Living Wage and the National Minimum Wage from April 2018.
Rates from 1 April 2024
From 1 April 2024 the National Living Wage has been for those aged 21 and over.
| 21 and over | 18 to 20 | Under 18 | Apprentice | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 2024 | £11.44 | £8.60 | £6.40 | £6.40 |
Rates between 1 April 2021 and 31 March 2024
Between 1 April 2021 and 31 March 2024 the National Living Wage was for those aged 23 and over.
| 23 and over | 21 to 22 | 18 to 20 | Under 18 | Apprentice | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 2023 to March 2024 | £10.42 | £10.18 | £7.49 | £5.28 | £5.28 |
| April 2022 to March 2023 | £9.50 | £9.18 | £6.83 | £4.81 | £4.81 |
| April 2021 to March 2022 | £8.91 | £8.36 | £6.56 | £4.62 | £4.30 |
Rates before 1 April 2021
Before 1 April 2021 the National Living Wage was for those aged 25 and over.
| 25 and over | 21 to 24 | 18 to 20 | Under 18 | Apprentice | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 2020 to March 2021 | £8.72 | £8.20 | £6.45 | £4.55 | £4.15 |
| April 2019 to March 2020 | £8.21 | £7.70 | £6.15 | £4.35 | £3.90 |
| April 2018 to March 2019 | £7.83 | £7.38 | £5.90 | £4.20 | £3.70 |
Who gets the minimum wage
Read the information onwho is entitled to the minimum wage.
You can use theminimum wage calculator to check whether the National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage is being paid.
Contact Acas if you’re not getting the National Minimum Wage and think you should be.
This page is Part of Employ someone: step by step
Step 1 Check this process is right for you
Follow these steps if you're taking on someone with the employment status of 'employee'.
There are other steps you may need to take first if you have not employed someone before.
The rules are different if you want to take on someone with another type of employment status, such as agency staff, freelancers, consultants and contractors.
Step 2 Recruit someone
You need to advertise the role and interview candidates. You can use a recruitment agency to do this or do it yourself.
As an employer you must make sure you recruit employees fairly.
and Check they have the right to work in the UK
and Find out which DBS check is right for your employee
You may need to check if someone has a criminal record, for example, if they'll be working in healthcare or with children. This is known as a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.
Step 3 Check if they need to be put into a workplace pension
Step 4 Agree a contract and salary
When someone accepts a job offer they have a contract with you as their employer.
Step 5 Tell HMRC about your new employee
You must tell HMRC about your new employee on or before their first pay day.