Minimum wage rates
National Living Wage from 18: where the plan stands
Enter an age between 18 and 20 and your weekly hours: the tool shows the rise you get in April 2027 on the 18 to 20 rate.
Your rise on 1 April 2027
More per week from 1 April 2027
£12.60
| Today | £10.85 an hour |
| From 1 April 2027 | £11.27 an hour |
| Rise | 3.9% |
| More per year | £655.20 |
Same age and apprenticeship on both dates. A birthday before April moves you into the next band sooner.
The government's aim is to pay the National Living Wage from age 18 instead of 21, but no law has made that change and no date has been set. The aim is written in the remit the government gave the Low Pay Commission, published on 16 March 2026; this year the remit gave the Commission full flexibility on the pace and timing, and asked it to give priority to youth employment. In its advice of 23 October 2026, accepted by the government on 28 October 2026, the Commission recommended pausing the alignment: the 18 to 20 rate rises by the same 3.9% as the adult rate, to £11.27 from 1 April 2027, against £13.21 at 21 and over. The gap therefore stays at about £1.94 an hour, or £3,783 a year on 37.5 hours a week. The Commission said there is still potential to lower the age, especially for 20 year olds, once demand for young workers recovers.
Minimum wage per week, month and year
Legal minimum per hour
£11.27
| Rate that applies | National Minimum Wage (18 to 20) |
| Per week | £338.10 |
| Per month | £1,465.10 |
| Per year (52 weeks) | £17,581.20 |
April 2027 rates announced by the government on 28 October 2026.
Rates and rules read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method
Two steps already taken
The age at which the top rate starts has come down twice. Each time, a whole group of young workers moved up a band on 1 April.
| From | National Living Wage starts at | Rate that year | Band below, for the next ages down |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 2019 | 25 | £8.21 | 21 to 24: £7.70 |
| April 2021 | 23 | £8.91 | 21 to 22: £8.36 |
| April 2024 | 21 | £11.44 | 18 to 20: £8.60 |
| April 2027 (announced) | 21 | £13.21 | 18 to 20: £11.27 |
A third step, to 18, would be the largest. The Commission pointed out that the rises needed are bigger than when the age came down to 21, and that more workers would be affected.
Why 2027 is a pause
The Commission's letter gives its reasons. Youth unemployment remains above its covid peak and at rates last seen in 2015; vacancies are lower still in retail and hospitality, which hire many young people; and while it found little evidence that past rises in youth rates reduced employment, it said future rises are not risk free. It therefore recommended the same percentage rise for 18 to 20 year olds as for adults, which keeps the ratio between the two rates steady.
The pause is not a reversal. The remit still states the aim, and the Commission wrote that there is still potential to lower the age limit, especially for 20 year olds. It also expects a review of youth labour market policy to shape its future advice.
When a birthday raises your minimum
Higher rate from (age 18)
16 November 2026
| Turns 18 on | 15 November 2026 |
| Rate from that pay period | £10.85 |
| Turns 21 on | 15 November 2029 |
The new band starts with the first pay reference period that begins on or after the birthday.
What it means for a worker aged 18 to 20 now
Until the law changes, the date that matters is your 21st birthday: from the first pay period that starts on or after it, the National Living Wage applies. The birthday tool above gives that date for your pay cycle. Meanwhile, at 30 hours a week the 18 to 20 rate is worth £325.50 a week today and £338.10 from April 2027, against £396.30 for a colleague aged 21 doing the same hours.
An employer may pay an 18 year old the adult rate, but it is not obliged to. If you are on an apprenticeship, other rules apply: the apprentice rate in your first year at any age, then the rate for your age, as the apprentice page explains.
How you will know if it changes
A change would appear first in the government's remit to the Commission or in its response to the Commission's advice, then in amending regulations with a date. This page is updated when that happens, and the page on how the rates are set explains the yearly cycle. Until then, the page for 18 year olds and the page for 20 year olds show the rates that apply.
Who would gain from a single adult rate
On the April 2027 figures, a worker aged 18 to 20 on the minimum would gain £1.94 an hour from a single adult rate. For a part-time student on 15 hours a week, that is £1,513.20 a year; for a full-time worker on 40 hours, £4,035.20. Apprentices in their first year would not be affected by the age change on its own, since the apprentice rate applies to them at any age.