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📋 Toolbox Talk · Employment Rights

Minimum Wage:
Every Hour Counts

The April 2026 rates, which time must be paid, what can be taken from your pay, and how to report underpayment.

📅 Last reviewed: October 2026📚 GOV.UK · Low Pay Commission · Acas · LRA🇬🇧 UK-wide (rates the same everywhere; how to complain differs in Northern Ireland)ukworkrights.co.uk

⬇ Download free PDF

The rates

What is the minimum wage from 1 April 2026?

Aged 21 and over (the National Living Wage): £12.71 an hour
Aged 18 to 20: £10.85
Under 18 and over school leaving age: £8.00
Apprentices: £8.00
The rates are the same in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and change on 1 April every year.

⚠ Watch out

The National Living Wage starts at 21, not 23 or 25. That changed on 1 April 2024.

Who it covers

Age, apprentices and school leaving age

The minimum wage applies to most workers. The genuinely self-employed are not covered.
It starts at school leaving age, not on a set birthday. Below school leaving age there is no minimum wage at all.
Apprentice rate: apprentices under 19, or 19 or over in the first year of their apprenticeship.
After the first year, an apprentice aged 19 or over gets the rate for their age. Example: aged 21, £8.00 in the first year, then £12.71.

Working time

Which time must be paid

You must be paid at least the minimum wage for all the time you are at work and required to be working, including:

extra time added to your shift, such as a team handover or security checks on the way in and out
time at the workplace when you are required to be available for work
travel in connection with work, including from one job to the next (but not between home and work)
training, or travelling to training
waiting to collect goods, meet someone for work or start a job

Rest breaks you take do not count. Your average pay per hour, over the period each pay packet covers, must be at least the minimum wage.

Your pay

Deductions and accommodation

A deduction cannot normally take your pay below the minimum wage, even if you agree to it.
Some deductions are allowed: tax, National Insurance, repaying a loan or an advance of wages, repaying an accidental overpayment, and accommodation provided by your employer.
Accommodation: from 1 April 2026 the most an employer can count towards the minimum wage is £11.10 a day (the accommodation offset).
Retail: money taken for till shortages or missing stock cannot be more than 10% of your gross pay on any pay day. This applies across the UK.

If you're underpaid

What you can do

Check your payslips and the hours you worked. The government's "Check your pay" page is gov.uk/checkyourpay.
England, Wales and Scotland: free advice from Acas, and the Acas "Pay and work rights" helpline and complaints service.
HMRC enforces the minimum wage on behalf of the Fair Work Agency and considers all complaints from workers.
You can also claim unpaid wages at an employment tribunal. Before most claims you must notify Acas for early conciliation.
Time limit (England, Wales and Scotland): 6 months less 1 day if you were paid (or last paid, for a series) on or after 1 October 2026; 3 months less 1 day if that pay date was before 1 October 2026. A claim cannot go back more than 2 years.

Northern Ireland is different

Same rates, different route

The rates are the same in Northern Ireland.
Contact the Labour Relations Agency (LRA) on 03300 555 300. You can also report underpayment to HMRC: the LRA or the Acas helpline can transfer you.
Before an industrial tribunal claim, notify the LRA, not Acas.
Time limit: 3 months less 1 day from the date you were paid (the last one, for a series). The 1 October 2026 change to 6 months does not apply.

Common questions

Frequently asked questions

I'm 17 and still at school. Do I get £8.00?

Not until you are over school leaving age. The date depends on where you live and when your birthday falls — the full guide explains each nation.

Does travel to my first job of the day count?

Travel between home and work does not count. Travel between one job and the next does.

My employer takes money for my room. Is that allowed?

Up to £11.10 a day can count towards the minimum wage (from 1 April 2026).

Free rights guidance

Check your
minimum wage rights

Get plain-English guidance on your rights and your employer's legal duties.

Acas

0300 123 1100

Mon–Fri 8am–6pm · acas.org.uk

LRA (Northern Ireland)

03300 555 300

Labour Relations Agency

Citizens Advice

England 0800 144 8848

Wales 0800 702 2020 · Scotland 0800 028 1456

Advice NI

0800 915 4604

Northern Ireland

UK Work Rights — Free guide

Minimum Wage in the UK 2026

ukworkrights.co.uk/guide-minimum-wage.html

General rights guidance only — not legal advice · © UK Work Rights Ltd · Company No. 17228507 · ICO Registration No. ZC239465 · Registered office: 71–75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2H 9JQ · hello@ukworkrights.co.uk
Published by UK Work Rights Ltd
Drafted with AI assistance, using official sources.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

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