From 1 April 2026 the 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 the rate for under-18s and apprentices is £8.00. On a 37.5 hour week the National Living Wage pays £24,785 a year before tax and about £21,364 after income tax and National Insurance, or £1,780 a month. This guide sets out the rates, who gets which, and what each one is worth over a week, a month and a year.
The rates from 1 April 2026
| Who | Hourly rate | Previous rate (April 2025) | Increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 21 and over (National Living Wage) | £12.71 | £12.21 | 4.1% |
| Aged 18 to 20 | £10.85 | £10.00 | 8.5% |
| Under 18 | £8.00 | £7.55 | 6.0% |
| Apprentice | £8.00 | £7.55 | 6.0% |
The apprentice rate applies to apprentices who are under 19, or who are 19 or over and in the first year of their apprenticeship. After the first year an apprentice aged 19 or over is entitled to the rate for their age. The rates are legal minimums per hour worked, averaged over the pay reference period, and apply to workers as well as employees, including agency and zero-hours staff. The apprentice wage calculator works out which rate applies and what it pays.
What the rates pay over a year
Yearly pay is the hourly rate multiplied by weekly hours and by 52. The after-tax figures apply the 2026/27 personal allowance of £12,570, income tax at 20% and National Insurance at 8% above the £12,570 threshold, on the standard tax code.
| Rate | Hours a week | Yearly gross | Monthly gross | Yearly take-home | Monthly take-home |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £12.71 | 37.5 | £24,785 | £2,065 | £21,364 | £1,780 |
| £12.71 | 40 | £26,437 | £2,203 | £22,554 | £1,880 |
| £12.71 | 20 | £13,218 | £1,102 | £13,037 | £1,086 |
| £10.85 | 37.5 | £21,158 | £1,763 | £18,753 | £1,563 |
| £10.85 | 40 | £22,568 | £1,881 | £19,769 | £1,647 |
| £8.00 | 37.5 | £15,600 | £1,300 | £14,752 | £1,229 |
| £8.00 | 40 | £16,640 | £1,387 | £15,500 | £1,292 |
A full-time worker on the National Living Wage pays £2,443 of income tax and £977 of National Insurance a year on 37.5 hours, keeping 86p of every pound earned. The 50p rise from April 2026 is worth £975 a year before tax on that pattern, about £702 after tax and National Insurance. The hourly rate ladder has a page for each rate, including £12.71 an hour, £10.85 an hour and £8 an hour, with figures for every hours pattern.
Where the tax thresholds fall
At £12.71 an hour, yearly pay passes the £12,570 personal allowance at about 19 hours a week, so someone working fewer hours than that pays no income tax or National Insurance at all. At £10.85 the crossing point is about 22 hours, and at £8.00 about 30 hours. Below those hours the whole wage is take-home pay; above them, each extra hour is taxed at 20% plus 8% National Insurance, leaving about 72p in the pound.
What counts towards the minimum wage
The comparison is between total pay for the pay reference period and the hours worked in it. Basic pay, bonuses and commission count; tips and gratuities, overtime premiums and shift allowances do not, so an employer cannot rely on tips to reach the rate. Deductions or payments for items connected with the job, such as uniforms or tools, cannot take pay below the minimum. Time spent travelling between assignments during the working day, training and time on standby at the workplace count as working time. Paid holiday is separate from and on top of the hours worked, at 5.6 weeks a year for a full-time worker, which the holiday entitlement calculator works out for any pattern.
Salary sacrifice arrangements cannot reduce pay below the minimum wage, which is why workers on or near these rates are often unable to use them for pension contributions.
If you think you are being underpaid
Compare your gross pay for a pay period with your hours for the same period; the hourly pay calculator does the arithmetic for shifts, breaks and overtime. Underpayment can be raised with the employer first, and reported to HMRC, which enforces the minimum wage and can order arrears to be repaid with a penalty on the employer. Workers who are paid annual salaries should check the implied hourly rate as well: a salary of £24,000 for 40 hours a week is £11.54 an hour, below the National Living Wage.
Common questions
What is the minimum wage in 2026? From 1 April 2026: £12.71 an hour for workers aged 21 and over, £10.85 for 18 to 20 year olds, and £8.00 for under-18s and apprentices.
What is the National Living Wage a year? £24,785 for a 37.5 hour week and £26,437 for 40 hours, before tax. After income tax and National Insurance those are about £21,364 and £22,554.
How much is £12.71 an hour a month? About £2,065 a month before tax on 37.5 hours, or £1,780 after tax and National Insurance.
Do apprentices get the minimum wage? Apprentices under 19, or in the first year of their apprenticeship at any age, get the £8.00 apprentice rate. After the first year, apprentices aged 19 or over get the rate for their age.
Is the minimum wage different in Scotland or Wales? No. The National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage apply across the whole of the UK. The rates differ only by age and apprenticeship status.
When does the minimum wage next change? Rates are normally revised on 1 April each year, following recommendations from the Low Pay Commission announced in the autumn.
Information, not financial advice. Rates are those published on gov.uk for the year from 1 April 2026; yearly and after-tax figures are estimates from the site’s calculators on the standard tax code for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Check your own payslip against the rate for your age before acting on them.