ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ

Since April 2026, the UK minimum wage for adults over the age of 21 is 12.71 pounds per hour. For the 2026/27 financial year, there are four minimum wage categories, three of which are based on age and one for apprentice workers. Apprentices, and workers under the age of 18 will have a minimum wage of eight pounds an hour, increasing to 10.85 pounds for those aged 18 to 20. When the minimum wage was first introduced in 1999, there were just two age categories; 18 to 21, and 22 and over. This increased to three categories in 2004, four in 2010, and five between 2016 and 2023, before being reduced down to four in the most recent year.

The living wage

The living wage is an alternative minimum wage amount that employers in the UK can voluntarily pay their employees. It is calculated independently of the legal minimum wage and results in a higher value figure. In 2025/26, the living wage was 13.45 pounds an hour for the UK as a whole and 14.8 for workers in London, where the cost of living is typically higher. Since 2011/12, the living wage has increased by 6.25 pounds, while the London living wage has grown by 8.5 pounds. 

Wage growth cancelled-out by high inflation 2021-2023

For a long period between the middle of 2021 and late 2023, average wage growth in the UK was unable to keep up with record inflation levels, resulting in a huge fall in disposable income. Although the UK government attempted to mitigate the impact of falling living standards through a series of cost of living payments, the situation has still been very difficult for households. After peaking at 11.1 percent in October 2022, the UK's inflation rate remained in double figures until March 2023, and did not fall to the preferred rate of two percent until May 2024. As of March 2026, regular weekly pay in the UK was growing by 3.4 percent in nominal terms, and just 0.1 percent when adjusted for inflation.