Tag: Low Pay Commission

The press release issued by the Low Pay Commission on 1 April 2026.

Increased rates of the National Minimum Wage, including the National Living wage came into force from 1 April 2026. These rates bring into effect recommendations made by the Low Pay Commission last autumn.

The new rates are set out in the table below.

	NMW Rate from April 2026	Annual increase (£)	Annual increase (per cent)
National Living Wage (21 and over)	£12.71	£0.50	4.1
18-20 Year Old Rate	£10.85	£0.85	8.5
16-17 Year Old Rate	£8.00	£0.45	6.0
Apprentice Rate	£8.00	£0.45	6.0
Accommodation Offset	£11.10	£0.44	4.1

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. The current economic uncertainty makes it essential that the Commission hears from those affected by the minimum wage and builds consensus for evidence-based recommendations.

To mark the uprating, the Low Pay Commission has published a report looking at the immediate impacts of the new rates. It has also published a consultation to inform its recommendations on future minimum wage rates.

NOTES FOR EDITORS

• The LPC’s recommendations were submitted to the Government on 27 October 2025. The Government announced acceptance of those recommendations at the Autumn Budget on Wednesday 26 November.
• The Government’s remit to the LPC, which determines the Commission’s work through the year, was published on 16 March and is available here.
• The National Living Wage (NLW) is currently the statutory minimum wage for workers aged 21 and over. This age threshold came down from 25 to 23 in April 2021 and from 23 to 21 in April 2024.
• The Low Pay Commission is an independent body made up of employers, trade unions and experts whose role is to advise the Government on the minimum wage. The rate recommendations introduced today were agreed unanimously by the Commission. The current Low Pay Commissioners are: Baroness Philippa Stroud (Chair), Nigel Cotgrove, Matthew Fell, Andrew Goodacre, Louise Fisher, Professor Patricia Rice, Simon Sapper, Professor Jonathan Wadsworth and Janet Williamson.
• Baroness Philippa Stroud can be contacted via the Low Pay Commission’s press office (07341 098734).

The press release issued by the Low Pay Commission on 31 March 2023.

Low-paid workers across the country will receive a pay increase this weekend as all rates of the National Minimum Wage rise.

The National Living Wage (NLW) increases on Saturday 1 April by 9.7 per cent to £10.42, providing a pay rise to millions of workers aged 23 and over across the UK. 21-22 year olds will see their pay increase by 10.9 per cent to £10.18 per hour while pay for younger workers and apprentices will also rise by 9.7 per cent.

	NMW rate	Annual increase (£)	Annual increase (per cent)
National Living Wage (23+)	£10.42	0.92	9.7
21-22 Year Old Rate	£10.18	1.00	10.9
18-20 Year Old Rate	£7.49	0.66	9.7
16-17 Year Old Rate	£5.28	0.47	9.7
Apprentice Rate	£5.28	0.47	9.7
Accommodation Offset	£9.10	0.40	4.6

These increases follow recommendations made to the Government by the Low Pay Commission (LPC) in the autumn. The NLW increase means another significant step towards reaching the Government’s target of two-thirds of median earnings by 2024. The increase is also expected to boost the real value of the NLW, restoring most of the real value lost since April 2021.

The LPC is now consulting on National Minimum Wage (NMW) rates for April 2024 and beyond and will make its recommendations to the Government in October. The consultation will run from 23 March to 9 June 2023. For more information, including how to submit responses, click here.

Bryan Sanderson, Chair of the Low Pay Commission, said:

From April, millions of workers will benefit from these increases to the NMW and NLW. Despite turbulent economic conditions, the labour market has remained strong and unemployment is low. We remain confident that this increase is unlikely to have a detrimental impact. Indeed, the high levels of inflation are felt more acutely by those on low pay who spend a higher proportion of their income on energy and food.

The new NLW rate keeps us on track to reach the Government’s target of two-thirds of median earnings by 2024. We estimate the NLW will need to rise next year to between £10.90 and £11.43 to meet this target. We also remain committed to lowering the NLW age threshold to 21 years of age in 2024.

In our consultation this year we are also looking beyond 2024, and inviting evidence and views on the future of minimum wage policy once the two-thirds target is achieved. The NMW is a central feature of the UK labour market and workers and employers alike will want to contribute to the debate about its future.

The LPC has published a short report which looks ahead at what the new rates will mean, and sets out an updated path of the NLW to its target of two-thirds of median hourly earnings by 2024. Estimating the forward path of the NLW is very challenging as earnings growth is difficult to measure and predict in the current economic climate. Our central estimate of the on-course rate of the NLW for 2024 is £11.16, within a range of £10.90 to £11.43.