New rates of pay will come into effect in April
Millions of Brits are set to see a boost of up to around £975 in their bank accounts from April, when the minimum wage will rise by between 4.1% and 8.5%. The minimum wage is the lowest hourly rate that employers are legally required to pay their staff.
The amount a person receives depends on their age, and the minimum wage applies to both full-time and part-time workers. To be eligible for the National Minimum Wage, you must be at least school leaving age, while the National Living Wage applies to those aged 21 and over.
From April 2026, the National Living Wage for those aged 21 and over will rise from £12.21 an hour to £12.71 an hour. Meanwhile, minimum wages for those aged 18 to 20 and under 18 will increase from £10 to £10.85, and from £7.55 to £8, respectively.
Apprentices will also see a jump in their rate from £7.55 to £8 an hour. Apprentices receive this rate if they’re either under 19 or aged 19 or over and in the first year of their apprenticeship.
Apprentices over 19 who have completed the first year of their apprenticeship are entitled to the correct minimum wage for their age.
With a 4.1% increase, a full-time worker aged over 21 and earning the minimum wage, will receive around an extra £975 per year. However, the following types of workers are not entitled to the minimum wage:
- workers younger than school leaving age (usually 16)
- family members of the employer living in the employer’s home
- self-employed people running their own business
- people who are volunteers or voluntary workers
- people working on a Jobcentre Plus Work trial for up to 6 weeks
- members of the armed forces
- people shadowing others at work
- people on the following European Union (EU) programmes: Leonardo da Vinci, Erasmus+, Comenius
- share fishermen
- people living and working in a religious community
- higher and further education students on work experience or a work placement up to one year
- prisoners
- workers on a government employment programme, such as the Work Programme
- workers on government pre-apprenticeships schemes
- company directors
