Minimum wage rates
Low Pay Commission: how the minimum wage is set each year
Set your weekly hours: the tool compares the announced April 2027 rate with the Commission’s estimate of two thirds of median pay.
April 2027 rate against the LPC reference point
National Living Wage from April 2027
£13.21
| Two-thirds of median (LPC estimate) | £13.44 |
| Gap per hour | £0.23 |
| Gap per year at your hours | £448.50 |
The Low Pay Commission is the independent body that advises the government on the minimum wage rates each year. It brings together worker representatives, employer representatives and independent experts, and its recommendations are the agreed view of all of them. The cycle starts with a remit from the government: the one for 2026, published on 16 March 2026, asked the Commission to recommend a National Living Wage guided by two thirds of median hourly earnings, weighed against the labour market, the cost of living, businesses and the economy. The Commission consults in the spring, gathers evidence over the summer, meets in October and writes to the government: this year on 23 October 2026. The government announced on 28 October 2026, at the Autumn Budget, that it accepted the advice in full: £13.21 for the National Living Wage from 1 April 2027. The figures then go into amending regulations before 1 April. The Commission estimated that two thirds of median pay would need £13.44, so this year's rate stays below the reference point.
Minimum wage then and now
Rate in April 2023 to March 2024
£10.42
| Band then | National Living Wage (23 and over) |
| Rate in April 2026 | £12.71 |
| Rate from April 2027 | £13.21 |
| Rise to April 2027 | 26.8% |
Rates and rules read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method
The 2026 to 2027 timetable
| Date | Step |
|---|---|
| 16 March 2026 | Government publishes the remit for 2026 |
| 1 April 2026 | Commission publishes its report "The National Minimum Wage in 2026" as the April 2026 rates take effect |
| Spring 2026 | Consultation; central estimate for the reference point £13.18 (range £13.02 to £13.34) |
| 10 July 2026 | Commission publishes a paper on criteria for a higher National Living Wage target |
| 23 October 2026 | Commission submits its advice for April 2027 |
| 28 October 2026 | Government accepts it in full and announces the rates at the Autumn Budget |
| Before 1 April 2027 | Amending regulations to be made |
| 1 April 2027 | New rates apply from the first pay period starting on or after that day |
What the remit asks for
For the National Living Wage, the remit sets two thirds of median hourly earnings as the key reference point, to be reached while taking account of four things: the condition of the labour market, the cost of living (including inflation forecasts between April 2027 and March 2028), the impact on businesses and competitiveness, and wider economic conditions. For workers aged 18 to 20, it keeps the government's aim of lowering the National Living Wage age to 18, but this year gave the Commission full flexibility on pace and timing and asked it to give priority to youth employment. For 16 and 17 year olds, it asks for a rate that supports their employment.
The reference point moves with pay across the economy. Because median hourly earnings grew faster than forecast in 2026, the Commission's estimate of the rate needed rose from £13.18 in the spring to £13.44 by the autumn.
Your rise on 1 April 2027
More per week from 1 April 2027
£18.75
| Today | £12.71 an hour |
| From 1 April 2027 | £13.21 an hour |
| Rise | 3.9% |
| More per year | £975 |
Same age and apprenticeship on both dates. A birthday before April moves you into the next band sooner.
The choices made for 2027
- National Living Wage: £13.21, 3.9%, below the reference point but above inflation forecasts, given weak hiring and employers' rising costs.
- 18 to 20: £11.27, the same 3.9%, pausing the move towards the adult rate because demand for young workers has slowed and youth unemployment is at rates last seen in 2015.
- 16 to 17 and apprentices: £8.31, a much smaller rise than in recent years, as employment of that age group and apprentice vacancies had fallen.
- Accommodation offset: £11.53 a day, in line with the National Living Wage.
The letter records that workers' representatives asked for ambitious rises, citing members struggling to pay everyday bills, while several employer bodies asked for rises below inflation for the first time. The Commission said it had not found robust evidence that recent increases reduced employment, but judged caution justified.
From announcement to payslip
An announcement is not yet law. Each year the government makes amending regulations that change the figures in the National Minimum Wage Regulations 2015: for April 2026 they were made on 19 March 2026. Employers must then apply the new rates from the first pay period that starts on or after 1 April. The April 2027 page shows what the rise means for each age, and the history page how each year's advice turned into rates since 2019.