National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage rates: April 2026 in force, April 2027 announced

The National Living Wage is £12.71 an hour from 1 April 2026, according to the GOV.UK rates page and the National Minimum Wage (Amendment) Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/357), which came into force on 1 April 2026. A rate of £13.21 was announced on 28 October 2026 for 1 April 2027 and is not yet in force. These figures are for workers aged 21 and over: workers under 21 get the lower age-band rates, apprentices who are under 19 or in the first year of their apprenticeship get the apprentice rate, and some workers, such as the self-employed and volunteers, are not entitled to the minimum wage.

GOV.UK says the Government announced on 28 October 2026, accepting the Low Pay Commission’s recommendations in full, that the National Living Wage for workers aged 21 and over will rise to £13.21 an hour from 1 April 2027, with £11.27 for 18 to 20 year olds and £8.31 for under 18s and apprentices. These rates were announced on 28 October 2026 and not yet in force; they are due from 1 April 2027; the rates in force when we checked on 5 November 2026 were those from 1 April 2026 (£12.71 for workers aged 21 and over). These figures are for workers aged 21 and over: workers under 21 get the lower age-band rates, apprentices who are under 19 or in the first year of their apprenticeship get the apprentice rate, and some workers, such as the self-employed and volunteers, are not entitled to the minimum wage.

GOV.UK lists £10.85 an hour for ages 18 to 20, £8.00 for under 18s and £8.00 for the apprentice rate from 1 April 2026. For April 2027 the Low Pay Commission announcement on GOV.UK gives £11.27, £8.31 and £8.31; these rates were announced on 28 October 2026 and not yet in force; they are due from 1 April 2027. The apprentice rate applies to apprentices who are under 19, or aged 19 or over and in the first year of their apprenticeship; apprentices over 19 who have completed that year get the minimum wage for their age. These figures are for workers aged 21 and over: workers under 21 get the lower age-band rates, apprentices who are under 19 or in the first year of their apprenticeship get the apprentice rate, and some workers, such as the self-employed and volunteers, are not entitled to the minimum wage.

GOV.UK says workers must be at least school leaving age to get the National Minimum Wage and 21 or over to get the National Living Wage, so workers under 21 get the lower age-band rates. Part-time, casual and agency workers are among those entitled to the correct minimum wage. GOV.UK also lists workers who are not entitled to the National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage, among them self-employed people running their own business, company directors, volunteers or voluntary workers, members of the armed forces and workers younger than school leaving age (usually 16). Apprentices who are under 19, or in the first year of their apprenticeship, get the apprentice rate.

GOV.UK says accommodation provided by an employer can be taken into account for the minimum wage, up to the offset rate: £11.10 a day (£77.70 a week) from 1 April 2026, and £10.66 a day (£74.62 a week) in the year before, set by SI 2025/401 from 1 April 2025. A rate of £11.53 a day was announced on 28 October 2026 for April 2027 and is not yet in force; it is due from 1 April 2027. If the charge is higher than the offset rate the difference reduces the pay that counts, if it is no higher than the rate it has no effect, and no other kind of company benefit counts. These figures are for workers aged 21 and over: workers under 21 get the lower age-band rates, apprentices who are under 19 or in the first year of their apprenticeship get the apprentice rate, and some workers, such as the self-employed and volunteers, are not entitled to the minimum wage.

This is FedRateCalc’s own arithmetic, not an official figure: 35 hours a week × £12.71 (in force from 1 April 2026, workers aged 21 and over) is £444.85 a week, or £23,132.20 over 52 weeks, before Income Tax and National Insurance. At the announced April 2027 rate of £13.21 (announced on 28 October 2026, not yet in force, due from 1 April 2027) the same hours give £462.35 a week and £24,042.20 over 52 weeks, a difference of £910.00, the same size as the £910 rise in gross annual earnings that the GOV.UK Budget 2026 news story gives for a full-time worker. Contract hours, unpaid time and the age band change the result for any real worker. These figures are for workers aged 21 and over: workers under 21 get the lower age-band rates, apprentices who are under 19 or in the first year of their apprenticeship get the apprentice rate, and some workers, such as the self-employed and volunteers, are not entitled to the minimum wage.

GOV.UK lists £12.21 an hour for workers aged 21 and over, £10.00 for ages 18 to 20, £7.55 for under 18s and £7.55 for apprentices for April 2025 to March 2026, and the National Minimum Wage (Amendment) Regulations 2025 (SI 2025/401) came into force on 1 April 2025. They were replaced on 1 April 2026 by the rates in SI 2026/357. These figures are for workers aged 21 and over: workers under 21 get the lower age-band rates, apprentices who are under 19 or in the first year of their apprenticeship get the apprentice rate, and some workers, such as the self-employed and volunteers, are not entitled to the minimum wage.