{"id":87947,"date":"2022-12-05T18:47:29","date_gmt":"2022-12-05T16:47:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/factorialhr.com\/blog\/?p=87947"},"modified":"2026-04-08T16:12:30","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T14:12:30","slug":"national-minimum-wage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/national-minimum-wage\/","title":{"rendered":"National Minimum Wage UK 2026: Everything You Need to Know"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The National Minimum Wage is the <strong>minimum legal or statutory minimum amount per hour (\u00a3) a business can pay an employee in the UK. <\/strong>The UK government, advised by the independent Low Pay Commission (LPC), reviews this amount and adjusts the figure yearly. Typically, changes to the UK\u2019s minimum wage take place on 1 April.<\/p>\n<p>In this article, we\u2019ll cover everything you need to know about the National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage for 2026.<\/p>\n<h2>Key Facts<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>From 1 April 2026, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.livingwage.org.uk\/news\/national-living-wage-rise-welcomed-millions-still-short-real-living-wage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">UK National Living Wage for workers aged 21 and over is <strong>\u00a312.71 per hour<\/strong><\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>The government&#8217;s increase to the National Living Wage is expected to benefit millions of the UK&#8217;s lowest-paid workers.<\/li>\n<li>Despite the increase, a full-time worker on the National Living Wage will still earn over \u00a31,400 less annually than someone on the voluntary real Living Wage.<\/li>\n<li>Ensuring correct pay is critical, as failure to comply can lead to significant financial penalties and public naming by HMRC.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The table below outlines the mandatory UK minimum and living wage rates from 1 April 2026, alongside the voluntary Real Living Wage rates.<\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 75.347%; height: 298px;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr style=\"height: 24px;\">\n<td style=\"height: 24px; width: 23.8603%;\"><strong>National Living Wage<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"height: 24px; width: 28.128%;\">21 and over<\/td>\n<td style=\"height: 24px; width: 25.0242%;\">\u00a312.21<\/td>\n<td style=\"height: 24px; width: 20.0776%;\">\u00a312.71<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"height: 24px;\">\n<td style=\"height: 48px; width: 23.8603%;\" rowspan=\"2\"><strong>National Minimum Wage<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"height: 24px; width: 28.128%;\">18 to 20<\/td>\n<td style=\"height: 24px; width: 25.0242%;\">\u00a310.00<\/td>\n<td style=\"height: 24px; width: 20.0776%;\">\u00a310.85<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"height: 24px;\">\n<td style=\"height: 24px; width: 28.128%;\">Under 18<\/td>\n<td style=\"height: 24px; width: 25.0242%;\">\u00a37.55<\/td>\n<td style=\"height: 24px; width: 20.0776%;\">\u00a38.00<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"height: 48px;\">\n<td style=\"height: 48px; width: 23.8603%;\"><strong>Apprentice Rate<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"height: 48px; width: 28.128%;\">Apprentices under 19, or 19+ in first year<\/td>\n<td style=\"height: 48px; width: 25.0242%;\">\u00a37.55<\/td>\n<td style=\"height: 48px; width: 20.0776%;\">\u00a38.00<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"height: 24px;\">\n<td style=\"height: 48px; width: 23.8603%;\" rowspan=\"2\"><strong>Real Living Wage (Voluntary)<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"height: 24px; width: 28.128%;\">UK Rate<\/td>\n<td style=\"height: 24px; width: 25.0242%;\">\u00a313.45<\/td>\n<td style=\"height: 24px; width: 20.0776%;\">\u00a314.80<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"height: 24px;\">\n<td style=\"height: 24px; width: 28.128%;\">London Rate<\/td>\n<td style=\"height: 24px; width: 25.0242%;\">\u00a313.85<\/td>\n<td style=\"height: 24px; width: 20.0776%;\">\u00a314.80<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<thead>\n<tr style=\"height: 48px;\">\n<th style=\"height: 48px; width: 23.8603%;\">Pay Rate Category<\/th>\n<th style=\"height: 48px; width: 28.128%;\">Age Group<\/th>\n<th style=\"height: 48px; width: 25.0242%;\">Rate (April 2025 &#8211; March 2026)<\/th>\n<th style=\"height: 48px; width: 20.0776%;\">Rate (From 1 April 2026)<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<\/table>\n<p>A table outlining the new minimum wage hourly rates and living wage hourly rates in the UK for 2026. Sources: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/national-minimum-wage-rates\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">GOV.UK<\/a> and the Living Wage Foundation.<\/p>\n<h2>What is the National Minimum Wage?<\/h2>\n<p>The National Minimum Wage (NMW) is the <strong>statutory minimum hourly rate that workers under the age of 21 are entitled to<\/strong> if they are one of the following:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Full-time worker.<\/li>\n<li>Part-time worker.<\/li>\n<li>Casual worker.<\/li>\n<li>Agency worker.<\/li>\n<li>Apprentice, in some instances. (See below for more on this)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The goal of minimum wages is to safeguard employees from unfairly low compensation.<\/p>\n<p>As of 1 April 2026, the NMW rate is <strong>\u00a310.85 per hour<\/strong> for those aged 18-20 and <strong>\u00a38.00 per hour<\/strong> for workers under 18.<\/p>\n<div class=\"factorial-banner inline-banner banner-demo category-legal-finance\"\n    data-banner-id=\"177022\"\n    data-banner-type=\"demo\"\n    data-category=\"Legal &amp; Finance\">\n    <div class=\"banner-content\">\n        <div class=\"banner-text\">\n                            <h4>Centralise and automate your payroll processing with confidence<\/h4>\n            \n                            <ul class=\"banner-checklist\">\n                                                                        <li class=\"not-prose\">Prepare necessary documents for payroll processing<\/li>\n                                                                                                <li class=\"not-prose\">Maintain complete audit trails for compliance and transparency<\/li>\n                                                                                                <li class=\"not-prose\">Generate payslips, reports, and bank transfers from one dashboard<\/li>\n                                                            <\/ul>\n            \n                            <a href=\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/request-demo\"\n                    class=\"factorial-cta-button not-prose demo btn-brand\" data-cta=\"demo\" data-cta-position=\"inline-banner\">\n                    Get a demo                <\/a>\n                    <\/div>\n\n        <div class=\"banner-image no-image\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/app\/plugins\/factorial-utilities\/assets\/images\/banners\/inline\/backgrounds\/default_image.svg\" class=\"not-prose\" \/>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2>What is the National Living Wage?<\/h2>\n<p>The National Living Wage (NLW) is the <strong>statutory minimum hourly rate employers must pay workers aged 21 and over<\/strong>. The age threshold was lowered from 23 to 21 on 1 April 2024, expanding the number of employees entitled to this higher rate. From 1 April 2026, the National Living Wage is <strong>\u00a312.71 per hour<\/strong>. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.livingwage.org.uk\/news\/national-living-wage-rise-welcomed-millions-still-short-real-living-wage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">This represents a 4.1% increase on the previous year&#8217;s rate<\/a>, aiming to provide a real-terms pay rise for low-paid workers.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Who is Entitled to National Minimum Wage? <\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Although the national minimum wage rates are set by an hourly amount, it is <strong>not limited to employees that are paid per hour<\/strong>. The rate applies to all workers across the UK, including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Those working part-time or casually.<\/li>\n<li>Workers in training.<\/li>\n<li>Offshore workers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The new 2026 rates are the same across<strong> Scotland<\/strong>, <strong>Northern Ireland<\/strong>, <strong>Wales<\/strong> and <strong>England<\/strong> and will come into effect on the same date everywhere.<\/p>\n<p>There are a few groups of workers to whom these legal requirements do not apply. Self-employed workers, unpaid volunteers, company directors and members of family cohabiting with their employer are not entitled to the minimum wage.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>What is the Minimum Apprentice Wage?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>In order to be <strong>entitled to the minimum apprentice wage <\/strong>(\u00a38.00 per hour from 1 April 2026), the apprentice must be either:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Aged under 19.<\/li>\n<li>Aged 19 or over and in the first year of their apprenticeship.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>However, apprentices that are <strong>both 19 or over <em>and <\/em>have completed the first year of their apprenticeship should not be held to the apprentice rate. <\/strong>In these instances, they would be entitled to the minimum wage for their age. For example, a 20 year old apprentice in the second year of their apprenticeship after April 2026 would be entitled to \u00a310.85 an hour rather than the standard apprentice rate.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>How Can You Calculate National Minimum Wage?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>You can <strong>use an employees\u2019 working hours to calculate their correct rate of pay<\/strong>. Working hours are defined by the government as time spent:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>At work and meant to be working.<\/li>\n<li>Training or travelling as part of your job.<\/li>\n<li>Working\/business lunches.<\/li>\n<li>Working abroad as part of your job.<\/li>\n<li>Working excess hours (paid <a href=\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/working-overtime-guide-employers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>overtime<\/strong><\/a> or employer-requested unpaid overtime).<\/li>\n<li>Working on-call at your place of work.<\/li>\n<li>Any contractual \u2018working time\u2019.<\/li>\n<li>Commute travel time (<em>only if <\/em>your place of work is not fixed).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The government <strong>does not include<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Non-working breaks.<\/li>\n<li>Time spent on non-work related calls.<\/li>\n<li>Standard commute between home and fixed workplace.<\/li>\n<li>Leave (holidays, <a href=\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/sick-leave-uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>sick leave<\/strong><\/a> or maternity leave).<\/li>\n<li>Time spent striking or on industrial action.<\/li>\n<li>Time spent at the workplace whilst not working or unavailable to work.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>To pay wages accurately in line with legal requirements, you can <strong>use the <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/guidance\/calculating-the-minimum-wage\/calculating-the-minimum-wage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>government\u2019s step-by-step guide<\/strong><\/a><strong> to calculate the average hourly rate and the number of hours worked<\/strong> over a specific period. The government\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/minimum-wage-calculator-employers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>National Minimum Wage and Living Wage calculator for employers<\/strong><\/a><strong> is another helpful tool<\/strong> to check you&#8217;re paying employees correctly and haven\u2019t previously underpaid them.<\/p>\n<div class=\"factorial-banner inline-banner banner-freebie category-legal-finance\"\n    data-banner-id=\"184472\"\n    data-banner-type=\"freebie\"\n    data-category=\"Legal &amp; Finance\">\n    <div class=\"banner-content\">\n        <div class=\"banner-text\">\n                            <h4>Save time for your HR team with this Excel payslip template.<\/h4>\n            \n                            <p>A standard payroll model made in Excel based on the HMRC template that you can use to prepare your employees&#039; payroll.<\/p>\n            \n                            <a href=\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/templates\/payslip-template\"\n                    class=\"factorial-cta-button not-prose freebie\" data-cta=\"freebie\" data-cta-position=\"inline-banner\">\n                    Download for free                <\/a>\n                    <\/div>\n\n        <div class=\"banner-image no-image\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/app\/plugins\/factorial-utilities\/assets\/images\/banners\/inline\/backgrounds\/default_image.svg\" class=\"not-prose\" \/>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3><strong>What is the accommodation offset?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>If an employer provides accommodation, they can count some of its value towards the National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage. This is known as the accommodation offset. From 1 April 2026, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.livingwage.org.uk\/news\/national-living-wage-rise-welcomed-millions-still-short-real-living-wage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the maximum daily offset rate is \u00a311.10<\/a>. It is critical that employers do not deduct more than this amount from an employee&#8217;s wages for accommodation, as doing so could technically result in underpayment of the minimum wage.<span id=\"hs-cta-wrapper-dd588c6c-6645-420f-9ce0-d2d1119fa86e\" class=\"hs-cta-wrapper\"><\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>What is the Real Living Wage and London Living Wage 2026? <\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>There\u2019s one more benchmark to consider. The <strong>voluntary Living Wage is independently decided by the <\/strong><strong>Living Wage Foundation<\/strong><strong> and is completely voluntary.<\/strong> Their core belief is that UK staff aged 18 or over deserve to be paid enough to cover their everyday living costs. For that reason, it\u2019s calculated on a basket of household goods and services and is always higher than both the minimum and living wage.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.livingwage.org.uk\/what-real-living-wage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Over 16,000 UK companies now take part in the scheme<\/a>. The rates effective from April 2026 are <strong>\u00a314.80 per hour for London<\/strong> and <strong>\u00a313.45 per hour for the rest of the UK<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>How Could Paying the Real Living Wage Benefit Your Company?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Although you are not legally required to do so, <strong>raising your employees\u2019 wages to meet these benchmarks could benefit your company in multiple ways.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>For starters, it will improve your profile as an employer and help you to <a href=\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/job-advertisement\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>attract top talent<\/strong><\/a>. A recent CareerWallet survey found that <strong>only 25% of all employees in the UK have not thought about changing roles or demanding a pay rise due to the rising cost of living. <\/strong>This speaks volumes about the growing importance the UK workforce is placing on salary. A more generous pay package will also positively impact your existing employees, in turn improving morale and <a href=\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/high-turnover-rate\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>reducing your turnover rate<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>It doesn\u2019t hurt you as an employer, either. Paying employees enough to get by rather than scrape by can only improve perceptions of your brand. <strong>A better brand reputation can boost customer loyalty and help you stand out to prospects.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Managing Time Tracking and Payroll All in One Place<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>To know whether your business is meeting minimum wage requirements, you must know the hours worked by your employees and their hourly rates.\u00a0 <strong>The<\/strong> <strong>easiest way to do this is by using <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/time-attendance-signing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>time tracking software<\/strong><\/a><strong>.<\/strong> Factorial\u2019s all-in-one HR solution allows you to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Personalise work schedules for your employees.<\/li>\n<li>Compare their actual working hours vs expected.<\/li>\n<li>Track your employees\u2019 working hours daily with clock-in and clock-out features.<\/li>\n<li>Approve or reject timesheets instantly.<\/li>\n<li>Pay extra hours easily.<\/li>\n<li>Monitor employee absence and attendance.<\/li>\n<li>Create custom time reports.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>With Factorial, you can also <strong>digitalise and centralise all of your payroll-related processes using our <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/payroll-summary\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>payroll management software<\/strong><\/a><strong>,<\/strong> making payroll painless. You can manage employee expenses and periodic compensations from the same place, too.<\/p>\n<p>Combining time and payroll management with <strong>Factorial\u2019s software will give you more visibility and flexibility,<\/strong> enabling you to keep up to date with legal wage requirements and pay your employees a fair salary.<\/p>\n<div class=\"factorial-banner inline-banner banner-demo category-legal-finance\"\n    data-banner-id=\"167129\"\n    data-banner-type=\"demo\"\n    data-category=\"Legal &amp; Finance\">\n    <div class=\"banner-content\">\n        <div class=\"banner-text\">\n                            <h4>Want see more of Factorial?<\/h4>\n            \n                            <ul class=\"banner-checklist\">\n                                                                        <li class=\"not-prose\">Automate your workflows<\/li>\n                                                                                                <li class=\"not-prose\">Save time &amp; effort<\/li>\n                                                                                                <li class=\"not-prose\">Centralise HR &amp; finance with one platform<\/li>\n                                                            <\/ul>\n            \n                            <a href=\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/request-demo\"\n                    class=\"factorial-cta-button not-prose demo btn-brand\" data-cta=\"demo\" data-cta-position=\"inline-banner\">\n                    Get a demo                <\/a>\n                    <\/div>\n\n        <div class=\"banner-image has-image\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/factorialhr.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/01114707\/Discover-banner-factorial-laptop.png\" class=\"not-prose\" \/>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2>FAQs about minimum wage in the UK<\/h2>\n<h3>Will the National Minimum Wage go up in April 2026?<\/h3>\n<p>The UK government reviews minimum wage rates annually, with changes typically announced in the autumn for the following April. While an increase is likely in line with previous years, the official rates for April 2026 will not be confirmed until late 2025.<\/p>\n<h3>How much is 40 hours a week minimum wage?<\/h3>\n<p>From April 2025, the National Living Wage for workers aged 21 and over is \u00a312.21 per hour. Based on this rate, a standard 40-hour working week would amount to a gross weekly pay of \u00a3488.40. Rates are lower for younger workers.<\/p>\n<h3>Is \u00a312.60 an hour good?<\/h3>\n<p>An hourly rate of \u00a312.60 is above the UK&#8217;s mandatory National Living Wage, which is \u00a312.21 per hour from April 2025 for workers aged 21 and over. It also compares favourably to the voluntary Real Living Wage, which is calculated based on the actual cost of living.<\/p>\n<p><script type=\"application\/ld+json\">\n{\n  \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n  \"@graph\": [\n    {\n      \"@type\": \"Article\",\n      \"headline\": \"National Minimum Wage UK 2025: Everything You Need to Know\",\n      \"description\": \"Get 2026\/2027 UK National Minimum Wage & National Living Wage rates. Ensure compliance with our authoritative guide.\",\n      \"datePublished\": \"2026-04-07\",\n      \"dateModified\": \"2026-04-07\",\n      \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n        \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n        \"@id\": \"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/national-minimum-wage\/\"\n      },\n      \"author\": {\n        \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n        \"name\": \"Factorial HR\",\n        \"url\": \"https:\/\/factorialhr.com\"\n      },\n      \"publisher\": {\n        \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n        \"name\": \"Factorial HR\",\n        \"logo\": {\n          \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n          \"url\": \"https:\/\/factorialhr.com\/logo.png\"\n        }\n      }\n    },\n    {\n      \"@type\": \"FAQPage\",\n      \"mainEntity\": [\n        {\n          \"@type\": \"Question\",\n          \"name\": \"Will the National Minimum Wage go up in April 2026?\",\n          \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n            \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n            \"text\": \"The UK government reviews minimum wage rates annually, with changes typically announced in the autumn for the following April. While an increase is likely in line with previous years, the official rates for April 2026 will not be confirmed until late 2025.\"\n          }\n        },\n        {\n          \"@type\": \"Question\",\n          \"name\": \"How much is 40 hours a week minimum wage?\",\n          \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n            \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n            \"text\": \"From April 2025, the National Living Wage for workers aged 21 and over is \u00a312.21 per hour. Based on this rate, a standard 40-hour working week would amount to a gross weekly pay of \u00a3488.40. Rates are lower for younger workers.\"\n          }\n        },\n        {\n          \"@type\": \"Question\",\n          \"name\": \"Is 12.60 an hour good?\",\n          \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n            \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n            \"text\": \"An hourly rate of \u00a312.60 is above the UK's mandatory National Living Wage, which is \u00a312.21 per hour from April 2025 for workers aged 21 and over. It also compares favourably to the voluntary Real Living Wage, which is calculated based on the actual cost of living.\"\n          }\n        }\n      ]\n    }\n  ]\n}\n<\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The National Minimum Wage is the minimum legal or statutory minimum amount per hour (\u00a3) a business can pay an employee in the UK. The UK government, advised by the independent Low Pay Commission (LPC), reviews this amount and adjusts the figure yearly. Typically, changes to the UK\u2019s minimum wage take place on 1 April.<a href=\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/national-minimum-wage\/\" class=\"read-more\"> [&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":151,"featured_media":154955,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[338],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-87947","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-legal-finance"],"acf":{"topics":"payroll"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v21.5 (Yoast SEO v21.9.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>National Minimum Wage UK 2026\/2027: Rates &amp; Guide \ud83d\udcb7 | Factorial<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Get 2026\/2027 UK National Minimum Wage &amp; National Living Wage rates. Ensure compliance with our authoritative guide.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/national-minimum-wage\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"National Minimum Wage UK 2026: Everything You Need to Know\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Get 2026\/2027 UK National Minimum Wage &amp; National Living Wage rates. Ensure compliance with our authoritative guide.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/national-minimum-wage\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Factorial\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/people\/Factorial\/100064908455810\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-12-05T16:47:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-08T14:12:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/02190231\/blog_thumbnail_uk4.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Emma Baigey\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@factorialapp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@factorialapp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Emma Baigey\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/national-minimum-wage\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/national-minimum-wage\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Emma Baigey\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/60f87cc8ee5125540515f3d7936d39b4\"},\"headline\":\"National Minimum Wage UK 2026: Everything You Need to Know\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-12-05T16:47:29+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-08T14:12:30+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/national-minimum-wage\/\"},\"wordCount\":1474,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Legal &amp; Finance\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/national-minimum-wage\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/national-minimum-wage\/\",\"name\":\"National Minimum Wage UK 2026\/2027: Rates & Guide \ud83d\udcb7 | Factorial\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2022-12-05T16:47:29+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-08T14:12:30+00:00\",\"description\":\"Get 2026\/2027 UK National Minimum Wage & National Living Wage rates. Ensure compliance with our authoritative guide.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/national-minimum-wage\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Factorial\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"All-in-one business management software - Factorial\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/18155144\/factorial-logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/18155144\/factorial-logo.png\",\"width\":946,\"height\":880,\"caption\":\"All-in-one business management software - Factorial\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/people\/Factorial\/100064908455810\/\",\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/factorialapp\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/factorialhr\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@factorialmedia\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/factorial\/#\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/60f87cc8ee5125540515f3d7936d39b4\",\"name\":\"Emma Baigey\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9b3b8325fad72811803e6218f2f99254?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9b3b8325fad72811803e6218f2f99254?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Emma Baigey\"},\"description\":\"Emma is a Content Writer with 5 years of Marketing experience. She specialises in HR strategy and modern workplace trends. When she's not writing, she's running by the beach or cooking Italian food.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/emma-baigey-2a2998168\/\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/author\/emma-baigey\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"National Minimum Wage UK 2026\/2027: Rates & Guide \ud83d\udcb7 | Factorial","description":"Get 2026\/2027 UK National Minimum Wage & National Living Wage rates. Ensure compliance with our authoritative guide.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/national-minimum-wage\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"National Minimum Wage UK 2026: Everything You Need to Know","og_description":"Get 2026\/2027 UK National Minimum Wage & National Living Wage rates. Ensure compliance with our authoritative guide.","og_url":"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/national-minimum-wage\/","og_site_name":"Factorial","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/people\/Factorial\/100064908455810\/","article_published_time":"2022-12-05T16:47:29+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-04-08T14:12:30+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1280,"height":720,"url":"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/02190231\/blog_thumbnail_uk4.webp","type":"image\/webp"}],"author":"Emma Baigey","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@factorialapp","twitter_site":"@factorialapp","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Emma Baigey","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/national-minimum-wage\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/national-minimum-wage\/"},"author":{"name":"Emma Baigey","@id":"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/60f87cc8ee5125540515f3d7936d39b4"},"headline":"National Minimum Wage UK 2026: Everything You Need to Know","datePublished":"2022-12-05T16:47:29+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-08T14:12:30+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/national-minimum-wage\/"},"wordCount":1474,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/#organization"},"articleSection":["Legal &amp; Finance"],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/national-minimum-wage\/","url":"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/national-minimum-wage\/","name":"National Minimum Wage UK 2026\/2027: Rates & Guide \ud83d\udcb7 | Factorial","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/#website"},"datePublished":"2022-12-05T16:47:29+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-08T14:12:30+00:00","description":"Get 2026\/2027 UK National Minimum Wage & National Living Wage rates. Ensure compliance with our authoritative guide.","inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/national-minimum-wage\/"]}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/","name":"Factorial","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/#organization","name":"All-in-one business management software - Factorial","url":"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/18155144\/factorial-logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/18155144\/factorial-logo.png","width":946,"height":880,"caption":"All-in-one business management software - Factorial"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/people\/Factorial\/100064908455810\/","https:\/\/twitter.com\/factorialapp","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/factorialhr","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@factorialmedia","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/factorial\/#"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/60f87cc8ee5125540515f3d7936d39b4","name":"Emma Baigey","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9b3b8325fad72811803e6218f2f99254?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9b3b8325fad72811803e6218f2f99254?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","caption":"Emma Baigey"},"description":"Emma is a Content Writer with 5 years of Marketing experience. She specialises in HR strategy and modern workplace trends. When she's not writing, she's running by the beach or cooking Italian food.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/emma-baigey-2a2998168\/"],"url":"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/author\/emma-baigey\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87947"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/151"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=87947"}],"version-history":[{"count":49,"href":"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87947\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":185962,"href":"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87947\/revisions\/185962"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/154955"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=87947"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=87947"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/factorialhr.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=87947"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}