When does the minimum wage go up?

The legal minimum wage rates change on 1 April every year. The most recent rise took effect on 1 April 2026, when the National Living Wage went from £12.21 to £12.71. The next change is due on 1 April 2027, and the rate has not been set. The Low Pay Commission is due to recommend it later in 2026 and the government decides.

How the April figure is set

The Low Pay Commission is an independent body of employers, trade unions and experts that advises the government on the minimum wage. The cycle for the April 2026 rates went like this:

Date	Step
27 October 2025	The Commission sent its recommendations to the government
26 November 2025	The government accepted them at the Autumn Budget
16 March 2026	The government set the Commission’s remit for the next round
1 April 2026	The new rates took effect
26 June 2026	The Commission’s consultation closed

The remit asks the Commission to use two-thirds of median earnings as the main reference point for the National Living Wage. Its consultation letter estimated that holding to that benchmark would need a rate between £13.02 and £13.34 in April 2027, with a central estimate of £13.18, a rise of 3.7 per cent. The Commission calls these figures indicative only and says the final recommendation depends on the economy, the labour market and living costs.

Treat £13.18 as a rough guide to the order of magnitude. On a 37.5-hour week at 52 weeks it would be £25,701 a year, against £24,784.50 now.

Which rates change

Four rates are set each April: the National Living Wage for those aged 21 and over, the rate for 18 to 20, the rate for under-18s and the apprentice rate. The April 2026 changes were:

Rate	2025	2026	Rise
21 and over	£12.21	£12.71	4.1%
18 to 20	£10.00	£10.85	8.5%
Under 18	£7.55	£8.00	6.0%
Apprentice	£7.55	£8.00	6.0%

The age at which the full rate starts has also moved in April. It fell from 25 to 23 in April 2021 and from 23 to 21 in April 2024. The government has said it wants to bring the 18 to 20 rate into line with the National Living Wage, and has left the timing to the Commission. See minimum wage for 18 to 20 year olds for what that would change.

What happened to public sector pay in April 2026

The minimum wage can catch up with the bottom of public sector scales. In April 2026 it rose to £12.71, which is £24,853 on a 37.5-hour week, above what band 1 and band 2 of the NHS scale paid at the time. NHS Employers told trusts that band 1 and both band 2 points would get a temporary uplift to £24,853 until the pay award was settled. The 3.3 per cent award then took band 2 to £25,272, about £12.92 an hour. The NHS band 2 guide lists the roles.

Council pay was affected in a different way. The lowest point on the NJC spine was deleted from April 2026, so SCP 3 became the bottom of the scale. The NJC pay spine has the figures.

The gap works both ways: if the April 2027 rate comes in near the central estimate, £25,701 would sit above the current band 2 figure of £25,272. The 2027/28 public sector pay awards are not known, so that comparison is arithmetic only.

What employers and workers should check

When the rate changes, your hourly pay has to meet the new figure for your age, whether you are paid by the hour or by salary. The government has a minimum wage calculator for checking. In April 2026 NHS Employers asked trusts to check bank workers, apprentices and staff on salary sacrifice arrangements in particular.

The real Living Wage follows a different calendar. The Foundation announced £14.10 across the UK and £15.45 in London on 15 October 2026, and accredited employers have until 1 May 2027 to bring it in. The real Living Wage guide covers it, and the full set of legal rates is in the National Living Wage guide.