Key figures · takes effect 1 April 2027
| National Living Wage (21 and over) from 1 April 2027 | £13.21 an hour (3.9%) | HM Treasury, Budget 2026 |
| 18 to 20 year olds | £11.27 an hour (3.9%) | HM Treasury, Budget 2026 |
| 16 and 17 year olds (under 18) | £8.31 an hour (3.9%) | HM Treasury, Budget 2026 |
| Apprentices | £8.31 an hour (3.9%) | HM Treasury, Budget 2026 |
| Accommodation offset | £11.53 a day | HM Treasury, Budget 2026 |
| Full time (37.5 hours) on the new rate | £25,760 a year | Paygrade calculation |
| Take-home on that (England, Wales, NI) | £22,066 a year | Paygrade calculation, 2027/28 rates |
| Real Living Wage (voluntary) from 15 Oct 2026 | £14.10 (London £15.45) | Living Wage Foundation |
The UK minimum wage goes up on 1 April 2027: the National Living Wage for workers aged 21 and over rises to £13.21 an hour, up 50p (3.9%) from £12.71. The rate for 18 to 20 year olds rises to £11.27, and under-18s and apprentices both get £8.31. For a full-time week of 37.5 hours, the new National Living Wage is £25,760 a year, £975 more than now, or about £22,066 after tax in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The new minimum wage rates for April 2027
| Rate | Now (from April 2026) | From 1 April 2027 | Rise |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Living Wage, 21 and over | £12.71 | £13.21 | 50p (3.9%) |
| 18 to 20 | £10.85 | £11.27 | 42p (3.9%) |
| Under 18 (16 and 17) | £8.00 | £8.31 | 31p (3.9%) |
| Apprentice | £8.00 | £8.31 | 31p (3.9%) |
| Accommodation offset, a day | £11.10 | £11.53 |
From the Budget 2026 document, published on 28 October 2026. The government accepted the Low Pay Commission’s recommendations in full and expects around 2.3 million workers to benefit. The Treasury puts the gain for a full-time worker on the National Living Wage at £910 a year, which works out at 35 hours a week; at 37.5 hours it’s £975. The same rates apply in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Minimum wage 2027 by age
- 21 and over (National Living Wage): £13.21 an hour. Since April 2024 the full rate starts at 21; there’s no separate rate for over-23s or over-25s any more.
- 18, 19 and 20 year olds: £11.27 an hour, £21,977 a year at 37.5 hours. The gap to the full rate is £1.94 an hour.
- 16 and 17 year olds: £8.31 an hour. Under-16s aren’t entitled to the minimum wage.
- Apprentices: £8.31 an hour if under 19, or 19 and over in the first year of the apprenticeship. After that, apprentices get the rate for their age.
£13.21 an hour is how much a year?
| Hours a week | A week | A month | A year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | £211.36 | £916 | £10,991 |
| 20 | £264.20 | £1,145 | £13,738 |
| 30 | £396.30 | £1,717 | £20,608 |
| 35 | £462.35 | £2,004 | £24,042 |
| 37.5 | £495.38 | £2,147 | £25,760 |
| 40 | £528.40 | £2,290 | £27,477 |
Before tax: hourly rate x hours, with a year of 52 weeks and a month of a twelfth of that (our calculation). For any other rate or hours, use the hourly to salary calculator.
Minimum wage 2027 after tax
| Full time on the National Living Wage | 37.5 hours | 40 hours |
|---|---|---|
| Gross pay a year | £25,760 | £27,477 |
| Income Tax (20% above £12,570) | -£2,637.90 | -£2,981.36 |
| National Insurance (8% above £12,570) | -£1,055.16 | -£1,192.54 |
| Take-home a year | £22,066 | £23,303 |
| Take-home a month | £1,839 | £1,942 |
Our calculation for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, tax code 1257L, no pension or student loan, on the 2027/28 income tax and National Insurance rates confirmed in the Budget: a £12,570 personal allowance, 20% basic rate and 8% employee National Insurance (HMRC, OOTLAR Annex A). Scotland sets its own income tax bands for 2027/28 in its own budget, so Scottish take-home will differ slightly. A workplace pension (usually 5% of qualifying earnings) comes off on top.
When does the minimum wage go up in 2027?
On 1 April 2027. The new rates apply to pay reference periods that start on or after 1 April, so if you’re paid monthly and your pay period started in March, the rise shows in your next full period.
National Living Wage increases over the years
| From April | Rate (age band) | Rise |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | £8.21 (25 and over) | |
| 2020 | £8.72 (25 and over) | 6.2% |
| 2021 | £8.91 (23 and over) | 2.2% |
| 2022 | £9.50 (23 and over) | 6.6% |
| 2023 | £10.42 (23 and over) | 9.7% |
| 2024 | £11.44 (21 and over) | 9.8% |
| 2025 | £12.21 (21 and over) | 6.7% |
| 2026 | £12.71 (21 and over) | 4.1% |
| 2027 | £13.21 (21 and over) | 3.9% |
From GOV.UK’s current and previous rates. The age for the full rate fell from 25 to 23 in April 2021 and to 21 in April 2024. Since April 2019 the rate has risen by 60.9%.
Is £13.21 an hour good? National Living Wage vs the real Living Wage
The National Living Wage is the legal minimum. The real Living Wage, which employers pay voluntarily, is £14.10 an hour (£15.45 in London) from 15 October 2026, according to the Living Wage Foundation: £1,736 a year more than the new legal minimum for 37.5 hours. Typical pay is higher still: ONS put median hourly earnings at £19.00 in April 2026, and its low-pay line, two-thirds of the median, at £12.67 (ONS, Low and high pay in the UK: 2026).
Did it match the forecast?
In spring 2026 the Low Pay Commission put the likely April 2027 rate between £13.02 and £13.34, with a central estimate of £13.18 (3.7%), on its target of keeping the National Living Wage at two-thirds of median hourly earnings (LPC consultation letter). The rate the government set, £13.21, is within that range, above the central estimate.
The jobs the new minimum catches up with
A full-time year on the new rate, £25,760 at 37.5 hours, against the lowest-paid full-time workers in our UK jobs (ONS ASHE 2026, provisional):
| Job | Lowest-paid full-timers earn up to | New full-time minimum is |
|---|---|---|
| Electricians | £24,846 (10th percentile) | above |
| Flight attendants | £25,376 (20th percentile) | above |
| Welders | £25,874 (10th percentile) | below |
| Plumbers | £26,510 (10th percentile) | below |
| Accountants | £28,314 (10th percentile) | below |
| Data analysts | £28,498 (10th percentile) | below |
In 2 of these six jobs, the new legal minimum for a 37.5-hour week is above what the lowest-paid tenth (or fifth) of full-time workers earned in April 2026. These ONS figures include trainees and newer workers, and many trades work longer than 37.5 hours, so it’s a guide to how the bottom of the pay scale gets squeezed, not a sign that these jobs pay the minimum. If you’re near the bottom of your pay band, check your pay.
Who it applies to, and what if you’re paid less
Every worker aged 16 and over is entitled to at least the rate for their age, whatever the size of the employer, including part-time, agency and zero-hours workers. ONS estimated about 346,000 jobs were paid below the minimum in April 2026 (1.1%), and says that’s “not a measure of non-compliance”: some are apprentices or have accommodation offsets. If you think you’re paid less than the minimum, you can complain to HMRC.
Limits
Rates as published in the Budget on 28 October 2026. Yearly, monthly and take-home figures are our arithmetic for a worker paid for 52 weeks, before any pension or student loan deductions.
Questions
What is the minimum wage in April 2027?
From 1 April 2027 the National Living Wage for workers aged 21 and over is £13.21 an hour. The rate for 18 to 20 year olds is £11.27, for under-18s £8.31 and for apprentices £8.31, according to GOV.UK.
What is the minimum wage for an 18 year old in 2027?
£11.27 an hour from 1 April 2027, the rate for 18 to 20 year olds, up from £10.85. That's £21,977 a year for 37.5 hours a week. At 21 you move to the National Living Wage of £13.21.
What is the minimum wage for a 21 year old in 2027?
£13.21 an hour: 21 year olds get the full National Living Wage, which has applied from age 21 since April 2024.
What is the minimum wage for a 16 or 17 year old in 2027?
£8.31 an hour from 1 April 2027, up from £8.00. The same rate applies to apprentices in their first year or under 19.
What is the apprentice minimum wage in 2027?
£8.31 an hour from 1 April 2027. Apprentices get it if they're under 19, or 19 or over and in the first year of their apprenticeship; otherwise they get the rate for their age.
£13.21 an hour is how much a year in the UK?
£25,760 a year for 37.5 hours a week, or £27,477 for 40 hours, before tax (hourly rate x hours x 52). That's about £2,147 a month at 37.5 hours.
How much is the minimum wage 2027 after tax?
For a full-time worker on 37.5 hours, £25,760 a year comes to about £22,066 after income tax and National Insurance in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, or £1,839 a month, on the 2027/28 rates confirmed in the Budget. Scotland sets its own income tax bands.
When does the minimum wage go up in 2027?
On 1 April 2027, for pay reference periods starting on or after that date. The rates are the same in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
How much has the National Living Wage gone up?
By 50p an hour, or 3.9%, from £12.71 to £13.21. Since April 2019, when it was £8.21 for workers aged 25 and over, it has risen by 60.9%.
Is £13.21 an hour a good wage?
It's the legal minimum for anyone aged 21 and over. It's below the voluntary real Living Wage of £14.10 (£15.45 in London), and ONS put median hourly earnings at £19.00 in April 2026.
What happens next
The new rates take effect on 1 April 2027. We'll update this page if the government changes them or publishes the Low Pay Commission's full report, and with the April 2028 rates when they're announced in autumn 2027.
On Paygrade
- Hourly to salary calculator, with UK hours and take-home pay
- Am I underpaid? Check your pay against the market
- Salaries in the UK, career by career
- Electrician salary in the UK
- Flight attendant salary in the UK
Sources
- HM Treasury, Budget 2026 (National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage) (28 October 2026)
- HM Treasury, Budget 2026: Breathing space for today, hope for the future (28 October 2026)
- HMRC, Budget 2026: Overview of tax legislation and rates, Annex A (2027 to 2028 rates) (28 October 2026)
- GOV.UK, National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates (current and previous rates) (checked 28 October 2026)
- GOV.UK, Maintaining Income Tax and equivalent National Insurance contributions thresholds until 5 April 2031 (26 November 2025)
- Low Pay Commission, 2026 consultation letter (indicative NLW range for April 2027) (2026)
- ONS, Low and high pay in the UK: 2026 (22 October 2026)
- ONS, ASHE 2026 provisional, Table 14.7a (full-time pay by occupation) (22 October 2026)
- Living Wage Foundation, real Living Wage increases to £14.10 in UK and £15.45 in London (15 October 2026)
Pay Watch pieces are checked against the official sources above on the day they're published and updated when the source changes. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.