National & Minimum Wage
The minimum wage a worker should get depends on their age and if they’re an apprentice.
The National Minimum Wage is the minimum pay per hour almost all workers are entitled to. The National Living Wage is higher than the National Minimum Wage – workers get it if they’re over 25.
These rates are for the National Living Wage and the National Minimum Wage. The rates change every April.
NLW and NMW rates from 1 April 2020
| Previous rate | Current rate from 1 April 2020 | Increase | |
| National Living Wage | £8.21 | £8.72 | 6.2% |
| 21-24 Year Old Rate | £7.70 | £8.20 | 6.5% |
| 18-20 Year Old Rate | £6.15 | £6.45 | 4.9% |
| 16-17 Year Old Rate | £4.35 | £4.55 | 4.6% |
| Apprentice Rate | £3.90 | £4.15 | 6.4% |
| Accommodation Offset | £7.55 | £8.20 | 6.4% |
Apprentices are entitled to the apprentice rate if they’re either:
- aged under 19
- aged 19 or over and in the first year of their apprenticeship
Who gets the minimum wage?
Workers must be at least school leaving age to get the National Minimum Wage. They must be 25 or over to get the National Living Wage.
Contracts for payments below the minimum wage are not legally binding. The worker is still entitled to the National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage.
Workers are also entitled to the correct minimum wage if they’re:
- part-time
- casual labourers, for example someone hired for one day
- agency workers
- workers and homeworkers paid by the number of items they make
- apprentices
- trainees, workers on probation
- disabled workers
- agricultural workers
- foreign workers
- seafarers
- offshore workers
Not entitled to the minimum wage
The following types of workers are not entitled to the National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage:
- self-employed peoplerunning their own business
- company directors
- volunteersor voluntary workers
- workers on a government employment programme, such as the Work Programme
- members of the armed forces
- family members of the employer living in the employer’s home
- non-family members living in the employer’s home who share in the work and leisure activities, are treated as one of the family and are not charged for meals or accommodation, for example au pairs
- workers younger than school leaving age (usually 16)
- higher and further education students on work experience or a work placement up to one year
- people shadowing others at work
- workers on government pre-apprenticeships schemes
- people on the following European Union (EU) programmes: Leonardo da Vinci, Erasmus+, Comenius
- people working on a Jobcentre Plus Work trial for up to 6 weeks
- share fishermen
- prisoners
- people living and working in a religious community