UK Minimum Wage Calculator

The National Living Wage is simply the name for the top rate of the National Minimum Wage, paid to workers aged 21 and over. Workers under 21 are covered by the National Minimum Wage, which is split into lower age bands: 18 to 20, and under 18. All of these are set by the same law and enforced the same way; the National Living Wage is not a separate, higher voluntary scheme, it is the legal minimum for the oldest age band.

From 1 April 2026, the National Living Wage for workers aged 21 and over is £12.71 an hour. Workers aged 18 to 20 must be paid at least £10.85 an hour, and workers under 18 (above school leaving age) at least £8.00 an hour. The apprentice rate is also £8.00 an hour. These rates are reviewed and updated every April on the recommendation of the independent Low Pay Commission.

The apprentice rate applies only to apprentices aged under 19, or apprentices aged 19 or over who are still in the first year of their apprenticeship. Once an apprentice turns 19 and has completed their first year, they must be paid at least the full National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage rate for their actual age, not the apprentice rate, even if their apprenticeship programme is still running.

Rates change every 1 April, based on recommendations from the Low Pay Commission that the Government typically accepts in full. Because the rates move every year, a calculator or checker that hasn't been updated can quietly tell you that an underpaid rate is compliant. This calculator uses the rates effective from 1 April 2026; always check you're comparing against the rate for the correct year if you're looking back at pay from a previous tax year.

Broadly, it's your gross basic pay for the hours you actually work. Some things reduce your effective hourly rate even if your headline rate looks fine, most notably being charged for a uniform or work equipment, or being housed in employer-provided accommodation above the permitted daily offset. Other things don't count towards minimum wage pay at all, such as tips, gratuities, and service charges, even though they land in your pocket. This calculator checks your basic hourly rate only; it can't capture every deduction or unpaid-time scenario that HMRC would look at in a full compliance check.

Yes. If you're required to do tasks that aren't paid, such as unpaid trial shifts, mandatory travel between job sites during the day, or regularly staying late off the clock, your true average hourly rate across all the hours you actually worked can fall below the legal minimum even though your quoted rate is compliant on paper. This is one of the most common ways employers end up underpaying without necessarily intending to.

Start by raising it directly with your employer or payroll team, since underpayment is sometimes a genuine error. If that doesn't resolve it, ACAS offers free, confidential advice on minimum wage issues, and you can report suspected underpayment to HMRC, who can investigate and require employers to repay arrears plus penalties. This calculator is a quick starting check, not a substitute for advice from ACAS or HMRC on your specific situation.

No, and the similar names cause a lot of confusion. The National Living Wage is the legal minimum set by the Government for workers 21 and over. The Real Living Wage is a separate, voluntary rate calculated by the independent Living Wage Foundation based on the actual cost of living, and it is higher than the National Living Wage. Employers can choose to become accredited Living Wage Foundation employers and pay the Real Living Wage, but there is no legal requirement to do so.

Yes. The National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage are set by UK-wide employment law and apply the same way across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, regardless of income tax differences between the nations. Only Income Tax bands differ in Scotland; minimum wage law does not.

No. The National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage only apply to workers and employees, not to genuinely self-employed contractors who run their own business and invoice for their services. If your working arrangement looks like self-employment on paper but in practice you have little control over your hours, can't send a substitute, and are treated like a regular member of staff, you may actually be a worker in the eyes of employment law regardless of what your contract says, and would then be entitled to at least the minimum wage.