Minimum wage rates
Real Living Wage against the legal minimum wage
Enter your weekly hours and whether you work in London: the tool compares the voluntary rate with the legal floor from April 2027.
Real Living Wage against the legal minimum
Real Living Wage per year
£27,495
| Real Living Wage per hour | £14.10 |
| National Living Wage from April 2027 | £13.21 |
| Difference per year | £1,735.50 |
The real Living Wage is voluntary; the National Living Wage is the legal minimum for workers aged 21 and over.
The real Living Wage is a voluntary hourly rate published by the Living Wage Foundation, an independent organisation, and paid by employers who choose to commit to it. For 2026 to 2027 it is £14.10 an hour across the United Kingdom and £15.45 in London, announced on 15 October 2026, up from £13.45 and £14.80; accredited employers are asked to apply it by 1 May 2027. It is not the law. The legal floor is the National Living Wage, £12.71 for workers aged 21 and over since 1 April 2026 and £13.21 from 1 April 2027 as announced on 28 October 2026. The voluntary rate is therefore £0.89 an hour above the April 2027 legal rate outside London, and £2.24 above it in London. Unlike the legal rates, its published figures have no bands by age. An employer that pays only the legal minimum breaks no rule, and no one can be ordered to pay the voluntary rate.
Minimum wage per week, month and year
Legal minimum per hour
£13.21
| Rate that applies | National Living Wage (21 and over) |
| Per week | £495.38 |
| Per month | £2,146.63 |
| Per year (52 weeks) | £25,759.50 |
April 2027 rates announced by the government on 28 October 2026.
Rates and rules read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method
Legal and voluntary rates side by side
| Rate | Who sets it | Binding? | Per hour | Per year at 37.5 hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Living Wage (21 and over), from April 2026 | Government, by regulations | Yes | £12.71 | £24,784.50 |
| National Living Wage, from April 2027 (announced) | Government, by regulations | Yes, once in force | £13.21 | £25,759.50 |
| Real Living Wage, United Kingdom | Living Wage Foundation | No | £14.10 | £27,495 |
| Real Living Wage, London | Living Wage Foundation | No | £15.45 | £30,127.50 |
The difference over a year is far from small. On 37.5 hours a week, the real Living Wage outside London pays £1,735.50 more than the National Living Wage of April 2027, and £2,710.50 more than today's legal rate.
Why two "living wages" exist
The name National Living Wage was given to the top band of the legal minimum wage. Its level is set by the government after advice from the Low Pay Commission, whose remit points to two thirds of median hourly earnings, weighed against jobs and business costs. The real Living Wage is set outside government by the Living Wage Foundation, on its own method, and announced each autumn. Employers that sign up commit to pay it and to move to each new figure by the date the Foundation sets.
The two numbers follow different calendars too. The legal rate changes on 1 April, from regulations made a few weeks before. The voluntary rate is announced in the autumn, 15 October 2026 this year, with time given to employers until 1 May 2027.
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.
What you can rely on
- The legal rate is owed by every employer to every worker of the right age, whatever the contract says, and HMRC can enforce it.
- The real Living Wage is owed only if your employer has agreed to pay it, for example in your contract or through accreditation. A dispute about it is a contract dispute, not a minimum wage complaint.
- The legal test of minimum wage pay, with deductions for uniforms and the accommodation offset, does not apply to the voluntary rate; employers that commit to it follow the Foundation's own rules.
Checking your pay against the legal floor first
Before comparing with a voluntary rate, make sure the legal one is met. A contract above £12.71 can still fall under it in a given pay period when unpaid training time is added or when a required uniform is deducted. The checker does the legal test for one pay period; the National Living Wage page explains the target behind the legal figure, and the annual salary page turns any hourly rate into a yearly sum.
Reading a job advert
Adverts often say "living wage" without saying which one. If the hourly figure is £12.71, it is the legal National Living Wage for workers aged 21 and over, which every employer must pay anyway. If it is £14.10, or £15.45 in London, it is the voluntary rate. Ask whether the rate will follow the next increase: the legal one must rise on 1 April 2027, while a voluntary one rises only if the employer keeps its commitment. For workers under 21, an advert at the voluntary rate is worth comparing with the legal band for their age, £10.85 at 18 to 20.