Key Facts

• The National Living Wage for workers 21 and over is £12.71 per hour, up 50p from 2025.
• Full-time workers (37.5 hours/week) earning the Living Wage make about £24,784.50 per year.
• Workers aged 18 to 20 earn £10.85 per hour, an 85p increase since last year.
• The wage for 16 and 17-year-olds rose to £8 per hour.
• Apprentices aged 16 to 18 earn the minimum wage for their age; those over 19 or past their first year receive wages based on their age and apprenticeship stage.
• Some groups, like the self-employed, company directors, volunteers, armed forces members, and prisoners, do not qualify for National Minimum or Living Wages.
• Employers must pay the correct wages or face fines and penalties by HMRC; in 2026, 389 employers were fined about £12.6 million.
• The Real Living Wage, set by a charity and not required by law, will increase to £14.10 per hour across the UK and £15.45 in London in October 2026.