National Minimum Wage Calculator (from April 2026)
Select your age band and enter your weekly hours to see your minimum hourly, weekly and annual pay under the rates effective 1 April 2026 — and check whether you are being paid legally.
How it works
From 1 April 2026 the National Living Wage (21 and over) is £12.71 an hour. Workers aged 18-20 get at least £10.85, and under-18s and apprentices £8.00. Rates are set annually by the Low Pay Commission and always change on 1 April.
The calculation itself is simple multiplication: hourly rate × weekly hours gives the weekly minimum, and × 52 gives the annual figure. Enter 20 hours a week in the 18-20 band and the result is 20 × £10.85 = £217.00 a week, or £11,284 a year; a 16-year-old on 16 hours gets at least 16 × £8.00 = £128.00 a week.
A full-time worker (37.5 hours) on the NLW earns at least £476.63 a week — about £24,785 a year before tax. Use our take-home pay calculator to see the net figure.
Watch the apprentice rules — they are the most commonly misapplied part of the system. The £8.00 apprentice rate covers apprentices under 19, and those 19 or over only during the FIRST year of the apprenticeship. A 22-year-old apprentice in their second year is entitled to the full £12.71 National Living Wage, not £8.00 — paying the apprentice rate there is illegal, not a grey area.
The minimum wage is a legal floor for almost all workers — including part-time, casual and agency staff. If unauthorised deductions (uniforms, tools) drag your effective pay below the rate for hours worked, your employer is breaking the law; check via gov.uk or ACAS (0300 123 1100) and claims can be backdated up to 6 years.
What the result shows — and what it doesn’t: the figures are the legal gross minimum for the hours you enter, before tax, National Insurance or pension deductions. They are a floor, not a market rate: your contract can pay more but never less. The check that matters legally is done on averages — total pay for the pay reference period divided by hours worked must not fall below your age rate, which is how uniform or tool deductions can quietly create an underpayment.
FAQ
What is the minimum wage from April 2026?
£12.71 an hour for workers 21 and over (National Living Wage), £10.85 for 18-20 year olds, and £8.00 for under-18s and apprentices. Apprentices over 19 who have completed their first year are entitled to the rate for their age, not the apprentice rate.
How much is minimum wage per year?
For a 21+ worker: about £24,785 gross on a 37.5-hour week (£476.63 a week), or £26,437 on 40 hours. After tax and National Insurance the 37.5-hour figure is roughly £21,300 take-home. Your exact annual pay depends on your contracted hours.
My payslip works out below minimum wage — what can I do?
First check the maths: total pay for the reference period ÷ hours worked must be at least your age rate. Deductions for uniforms or tools that pull you below the rate are unlawful. Raise it with your employer, then ACAS or HMRC's complaint line — HMRC can force repayment of up to 6 years of arrears and fine the employer.
What is the minimum wage for an 18-year-old?
£10.85 an hour from 1 April 2026 — the 18-20 rate. On a 20-hour week that is at least £217.00, or £11,284 across a full year. The jump to the £12.71 National Living Wage comes at 21, which on the same 20 hours would mean £254.20 a week — a meaningful birthday pay rise that employers must apply automatically.
When do minimum wage rates change?
Every 1 April, with no exceptions in recent practice — the Low Pay Commission recommends new rates annually and the change always lands at the start of April. That makes spring payslips worth checking: an employer slow to apply the new figures is underpaying from 1 April onwards, and arrears for underpayment can be claimed going back up to 6 years.
I'm a 22-year-old apprentice in my second year — which rate applies?
The full £12.71 National Living Wage. The £8.00 apprentice rate only covers apprentices who are under 19, or who are 19 and over but still in the first year of their apprenticeship. Once that first year is complete, you are entitled to the normal rate for your age — one of the most common and expensive payroll mistakes in apprentice-heavy sectors.
Does the minimum wage apply to part-time and agency workers?
Yes — it is a legal floor for almost all workers, explicitly including part-time, casual and agency staff. There is no minimum number of hours before it kicks in: 6 hours a week must be paid at least at your age rate just as 40 hours must. Agency workers are entitled to it from the agency that pays them, and the same 6-year backdating applies if they have been underpaid.