Minimum wage set to increase on April 1 – exactly how much you could get
Millions of Brits are due for a pay rise on April 1 as the minimum wage is set to rise. The increase could amount to up to £2,500 a year for certain full-time workers.
What is known as the National Living Wage, which is paid to people aged over 21, will go up by 6.7 per cent. And the National Minimum Wage, for those aged 18 to 20, will rise by 16 per cent.
Under 18s and apprentices will see the biggest wage increase, with their pay rising by 17.9 per cent. But how much does this mean people will actually be paid?
It is thought around three and a half million workers in total will benefit from the wage increase. However, some employees will see more of a change in their payslips than others.
The National Living Wage is going up from £11.44 an hour to £12.21. Since 2024, this has been paid to people aged 21 and over.
Previously, the National Living Wage was only for people aged 23 and over. According to the Government, the increase is worth £1,400 a year for a full-time worker.
Younger employees, who are aged between 16 and 20, receive the National Minimum Wage. There are two different rates for this, depending on your age.
For 18, 19 and 20-year-olds, it will rise from £8.60 an hour to £10 next month. This increase is worth £2,500 for an eligible full-time worker. For 16 and 17-year-olds, the National Minimum Wage will rise from £6.40 an hour to £7.55.
The separate apprentice rate, which applies to eligible people under 19 – or those over 19 in the first year of an apprenticeship, will also increase from £6.40 to £7.55.
You can use the Government’s online calculator here to see if you’ve been underpaid by your employer. It is a criminal offence if employers don’t pay the correct National Minimum and Living Wages to their workers.
If you think you are being paid incorrectly, you can make a complaint through the HMRC website. The Government website also recommends you contact Acas (the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service) if you’re not getting the National Minimum Wage and think you should be.
Alongside these changes, a higher hourly rate called the Real Living Wage, which is paid voluntarily by some UK businesses to half a million people, is also increasing. Pay rates are set by the government every year on the advice of an independent group, the Low Pay Commission.
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