UK minimum wage and National Living Wage
Workers aged 21 and over must be paid at least £12.71 an hour from April 2026 (was £12.21). Full-time that is about £24,785 a year — see what you actually take home.
Rates from April 2026
Take-home pay calculator (2026 to 2027)Income tax with the standard Personal Allowance and employee Class 1 National Insurance (category A). Excludes pension contributions, student loans and benefits in kind.
Previous rates
Questions and answers
What is the National Living Wage?
£12.71 an hour for workers aged 21 and over, from April 2026.
What are the other minimum wage rates?
21 and over: £12.71; 18 to 20: £10.85; Under 18: £8.00; Apprentice: £8.00.
How much is that a year?
Full-time at 37.5 hours a week, £12.71 an hour is about £24,785 a year before tax, or roughly £21,364 after income tax and National Insurance (2026 to 2027, outside Scotland).
When do the rates change?
Every year on 1 April.
Source: GOV.UK, National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates; tax from GOV.UK Income Tax rates, Scottish Income Tax and National Insurance rates (2026 to 2027) — Open Government Licence v3.0. Take-home figures are Tachlis estimates.