National Living Wage increases to £12.71 per hour
The 18-20 year old rate increased to £10.85 per hour, an increase of 85p, or 8.5%.
The National Minimum Wage has increased from today, 1st April 2026, following recommendations from the Low Pay Commission.
The rates are as follows: the National Living Wage (NLW) for those aged 21 and over increased to £12.71 per hour, a rise of 50 pence.
This is a 4.1% increase and amounts to an annual rise of £0.50.
The 18 to 20 year old rate increased to £10.85 per hour, an increase of 85p, or 8.5%.
The 16 to17 year old rate and apprentice rate both increased to £8.00 per hour, a rise of 45p or 6.0%.
The accommodation offset rose to £11.10 per hour, up 44p, a 4.1% increase.
Baroness Philippa Stroud, chair of the Low Pay Commission, said: “The recommendations we made last autumn sought to balance the need to protect the economy and labour market, whilst providing a real-terms increase for the lowest-paid members of society.”
“A lot has changed since we gave our advice to the government last autumn, and we are now beginning to gather evidence for recommendations later this year.
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