Is your pay above the legal minimum?
From April 2025: £12.21 for workers aged 21 and over, £10.00 for 18–20, and £7.55 for under-18s and apprentices. Enter your age, hours, and hourly rate — get an instant compliance check.
All rates from 1 April 2025
National Living Wage (21+)
£12.21
NMW 18–20
£10.00
NMW Under 18
£7.55
NMW Apprentice
£7.55
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What you might calculate next
How it works
Rates from 1 April 2025
National Living Wage (21+): £12.21/hour. Ages 18–20: £10.00/hour. Under 18 (above school leaving age): £7.55/hour. Apprentices under 19, or 19+ in first year of apprenticeship: £7.55/hour.
Who does NMW apply to?
Almost all workers including agency workers, home workers, agricultural workers, and casual workers. It does NOT apply to genuinely self-employed individuals, volunteers, family workers in a family business living in the family home, or workers below school-leaving age.
What counts as pay?
Basic pay, shift premium, incentive pay. What does NOT count: tips/gratuities, employer pension contributions, or premium payments for overtime hours (only the base rate counts for NMW purposes).
Reporting underpayment
If you believe you are being underpaid, you can report to HMRC via the National Minimum Wage helpline or acas.org.uk. Employers face penalties of up to 200% of underpayment plus public "naming and shaming" on gov.uk.
Salary sacrifice and NMW
Salary sacrifice cannot reduce effective pay below NMW. If a sacrifice would breach the minimum, it must be refused or limited — this is a common issue when employees on minimum wage want to join pension salary sacrifice schemes.