WageMinimum Wage 2025-26
In 2025-26 the top band (21 and over (National Living Wage)) was £12.21 an hour. Full-time that is about £23,810 a year at 37.5 hours a week, or £25,397 at 40 hours.
| Age band | Per hour |
|---|---|
| 21 and over (National Living Wage) | £12.21 |
| 18 to 20 | £10.00 |
| Under 18 | £7.55 |
| Apprentice | £7.55 |
How the National Living Wage has changed
| Tax year | Top band | Per hour |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | 21 and over (National Living Wage) | £12.71 |
| 2025-26 | 21 and over (National Living Wage) | £12.21 |
| 2024-25 | 21 and over (National Living Wage) | £11.44 |
| 2023-24 | 23 and over (National Living Wage) | £10.42 |
| 2022-23 | 23 and over (National Living Wage) | £9.50 |
| 2021-22 | 23 and over (National Living Wage) | £8.91 |
| 2020-21 | 25 and over (National Living Wage) | £8.72 |
| 2019-20 | 25 and over (National Living Wage) | £8.21 |
| 2018-19 | 25 and over (National Living Wage) | £7.83 |
General information, not advice. Estimates assume the standard 1257L tax code and typical circumstances; your payslip may differ by a pound or two because HMRC payroll software truncates at each step. Verify with HMRC or an accountant for any decision. WageReckon stores no salary data - the calculators run in your browser.
Rates for the 2025-26 tax year, current as of 24 July 2026. Source: HMRC (gov.uk). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: HMRC / gov.uk. See how we calculate.