Minimum Wage 2026/27: UK Rates and Pay Checks

The minimum wage is the legal hourly pay floor, not a suggested starting salary. The rate normally depends on your age and, for apprentices, your age and stage of apprenticeship.

These are the statutory GOV.UK rates applying from 1 April 2026 for the 2026/27 minimum-wage year. The accommodation offset is not a separate wage rate and does not let an employer deduct unlimited rent without affecting minimum-wage calculations.

Confirm current rates on GOV.UK before relying on them for a pay claim or employment decision.

Most people classed as workers are covered, including part-time, temporary, agency, casual and zero-hours workers. GOV.UK also confirms that qualifying apprentices and workers paid by output or piecework can be protected.

An apprentice aged 19 or over is entitled to the age-based rate after completing the first year of the apprenticeship. For example, an apprentice aged 22 who has entered year two must receive at least the 21-and-over rate of £12.71 from 1 April 2026, according to GOV.UK.

Genuine self-employed people, company directors without worker status, volunteers and certain people living and working as part of an employer's family are among those who may fall outside the rules. Labels are not decisive: an organisation cannot avoid minimum-wage law simply by calling someone self-employed.

Practical test: if you must perform work personally, follow set instructions and cannot freely send a substitute, ask ACAS or HMRC whether you may have worker status.

If low earnings are putting pressure on household finances, use SupportFund's benefits calculator guide to check whether Universal Credit, Council Tax support or another payment may be available.

A payslip's headline hourly rate does not prove compliance. Minimum-wage pay is tested against the hours worked in each pay reference period, which GOV.UK says cannot be longer than one month.

Build your own pay check

1. Identify the pay reference period. Use the dates covered by the weekly or monthly wage payment.
2. Add eligible gross pay. Include basic pay and only those payments GOV.UK permits in the minimum-wage calculation.
3. Remove excluded amounts. Tips, service charges, most benefits in kind and premium elements of overtime or shift pay do not normally raise minimum-wage pay.
4. Adjust for relevant deductions. Employer-required spending, such as compulsory uniform costs, can reduce pay for minimum-wage purposes.
5. Count working time correctly. Include qualifying training, travel between work assignments and time when you are required to be available at or near the workplace.
6. Divide adjusted pay by eligible hours. Compare the result with the rate applying to your age or apprenticeship status.

Suppose a worker aged 21 or over is paid exactly the statutory hourly rate but must buy employer-mandated clothing. GOV.UK guidance says a deduction or payment for items connected with the job can reduce minimum-wage pay, potentially creating an underpayment even when the payslip displays £12.71 an hour.

Keep payslips, rotas, timesheets, training records, clock-in data and messages about early starts or unpaid closing duties. If missing wages have disrupted essential bills, build a priority-bills plan before agreeing repayments with creditors.

Unpaid work is not limited to time spent serving customers. Required opening checks, security searches, handovers, cleaning, mandatory online training and closing tasks may all count where they form part of the job.

• Salary divided by excessive hours: a fixed salary can fall below the minimum when actual working time is higher than assumed.
• Unpaid trial shifts: GOV.UK says whether a trial is genuine depends on its purpose and length; productive work presented as a trial can attract minimum-wage entitlement.
• Uniform and equipment costs: required purchases can reduce minimum-wage pay even if the worker pays a third-party retailer.
• Tips used to fill the gap: GOV.UK states that tips and service charges do not count towards minimum-wage pay.
• Incorrect apprentice rate: employers sometimes continue the apprentice rate after an older apprentice completes the first year.
• Employer accommodation: only the official accommodation offset may count; other benefits in kind cannot usually make up a wage shortfall.

Minimum-wage arrears can affect benefit assessments in the period when they are paid. Claimants should report wage changes accurately and seek guidance through SupportFund's Universal Credit resources if a back-payment changes an award.

Start with a written calculation showing the pay periods, eligible hours, relevant deductions and correct statutory rate. Ask the employer or payroll team to explain the calculation and correct any underpayment.

If the issue is not resolved, contact ACAS for free employment-rights guidance or complain to HMRC through the official GOV.UK minimum-wage complaint service. GOV.UK states that complaints may be made confidentially, and HMRC can investigate employers, require arrears to be paid and impose financial penalties.

Workers are legally protected from dismissal or detrimental treatment for asserting minimum-wage rights. Employment tribunal deadlines can be short and depend on the type of claim, so obtain current advice promptly rather than waiting for an internal process to drift.

Evidence worth preserving

• Contracts, offer letters and apprenticeship agreements
• Payslips and bank statements showing actual payments
• Rotas, clocking records and personal hour logs
• Receipts for compulsory uniforms, tools or equipment
• Messages requiring unpaid training or pre-shift attendance
• Written responses from managers, payroll or HR

SupportFund.co.uk helps households manage the immediate consequences of low or missing pay by locating emergency support, benefit checks and bill-saving options. It does not replace ACAS, HMRC, a trade union or regulated legal advice.