Every year the minimum wage increases in April
Workers are set for a welcome increase in minimum wage rates from next month as the new financial year begins. Rates are to increase on April 6, giving a pay rise for millions of workers.
The Government confirmed the new rates for 2026 at the Budget in November.
Rates of this legal minimum increase annually in April at the start of the new financial year. This year, they are set to rise by 4.1% after Chancellor Rachel Reeves accepted recommendations from the Low Pay Commission so that those on low incomes are “properly rewarded” for their work.
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Ministers have been determined to deliver “a genuine living wage”, according to the Low Pay Commission’s (LPC) remit for increasing the so-called National Living Wage – the UK‘s minimum wage for workers aged 21 and older.
The LPC has said it will consult with employers, trade unions and workers on narrowing the gap between the 18–20-year-old rate of the National Minimum Wage and the National Living Wage and will put forward recommendations on achieving a single adult rate in the years ahead.
From April the National Living Wage will rise by 4.1% to £12.71 an hour for eligible workers aged 21 and over, which the Government said will increase gross annual earnings of a full-time worker on the rate by £900, benefiting around 2.4 million low-paid workers.
The National Minimum Wage rate for 18 to 20-year-olds will increase by 8.5% to £10.85 an hour, narrowing the gap with the National Living Wage.
This will mean an annual earnings increase of £1,500 for a full-time worker, which the Government said marks further progress towards its goal of phasing out 18 to 20 wage bands and establishing a single adult rate.
The National Minimum Wage for 16 to 17-year-olds and those on apprenticeships will increase by 6% to £8 an hour.



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