UK Minimum Wage Calculator 2026/27
Check the National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage rate for your age, work out what you should be earning, and see straight away if your actual pay meets the legal minimum.
Optional: enter what you actually get paid to check it meets the legal minimum.
Start here
How to use this calculator
Four steps, no sign-up, nothing saved or sent anywhere — everything runs in your browser.
Pick your age band
Choose 16–17, 18–20 or 21 and over. Tick the apprentice box if you are an apprentice under 19, or in the first year of an apprenticeship of any age — that rate overrides your age band.
Enter your weekly hours
The number of hours you actually work in a normal week. The default, 37.5, is a common full-time week — change it to match yours, including part-time hours.
Read off the legal minimum
The result box updates instantly and shows the least you can legally be paid, per week, per month and per year, for the age band and hours you entered.
Check your own pay (optional)
Enter what you are actually paid and how often. If your employer also charges you for accommodation, add that too — it can count against your pay in a way that catches people out. You will get a clear pass or fail against the legal minimum, and the shortfall if you are underpaid.
Your numbers
Every rate at your hours
All four age bands, worked out at the hours you entered above. Your own band is highlighted.
| Age band | Rate | A week | A month | A year |
|---|
Nearby
Your minimum pay at different weekly hours
The same hourly rate as your age band, at common working patterns. Your own hours are highlighted.
| Hours | A week | A month | A year |
|---|
The rates
National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates 2026/27
Set by the government from 1 April 2026, following recommendations from the Low Pay Commission. These are legal minimums — an employer paying less is breaking the law, whatever a contract says.
| Category | Hourly rate |
|---|---|
| 21 and over (National Living Wage) | £12.71 |
| 18 to 20 | £10.85 |
| 16 to 17 | £8.00 |
| Apprentice | £8.00 |
The National Living Wage applies to everyone aged 21 and over — it stopped being an over-23-only rate from April 2024. The apprentice rate applies to apprentices under 19, and to apprentices 19 or over who are in the first year of their apprenticeship; an apprentice past their first year who is 19 or over is paid at least the rate for their age instead.
Two different things
National Living Wage vs the Real Living Wage
These sound like the same thing and are not — mixing them up is the single most common confusion on this topic.
| National Living Wage | Real Living Wage | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | The legal minimum for workers 21+ | A voluntary, higher rate calculated by the Living Wage Foundation from the actual cost of living |
| 2026/27 rate | £12.71 / hour | £13.45 / hour (£14.80 in London) |
| Is it compulsory | Yes, by law | No — only accredited Living Wage employers pay it |
| Set by | The government, on Low Pay Commission advice | The Living Wage Foundation, an independent charity |
If your employer is not accredited, you are only legally entitled to the National Living Wage figure. The gap between the two — currently 74p an hour outside London, £2.09 in London — is a common talking point in pay negotiations, but it is not something you can enforce.
Accommodation
The accommodation offset, and how it can catch you out
If your employer provides you with accommodation, they are allowed to count some of its value against your pay when checking you have been paid the minimum wage. For 2026/27 that offset is capped at £11.10 a day (£77.70 a week).
If the accommodation charge is at or below that cap, it makes no difference to your minimum-wage pay. If your employer charges more than the cap, the amount above it is treated as a deduction from your pay for minimum-wage purposes — even if you agreed to it, and even if it is taken from a payslip figure that otherwise looks fine. This calculator applies that rule automatically if you enter an accommodation charge above.
Who is covered
Who is entitled to the minimum wage
Almost every worker in the UK, including part-time, casual, agency and zero-hours workers, is legally entitled to at least the minimum wage for their age. A handful of groups are genuinely exempt, most commonly: the self-employed running their own business, company directors with no employment contract, volunteers, and family members working in a family business who live in the family home.
Work experience placements and internships are only exempt if they are genuinely voluntary and time-limited as part of a course of study — an internship where you are expected to turn up and do real work on a schedule is very often, in law, employment, and the minimum wage applies whatever the placement is called.
Questions
Common questions
What is the National Living Wage for 2026/27?
£12.71 an hour for everyone aged 21 and over, from 1 April 2026.
What is the minimum wage for an 18 year old?
£10.85 an hour, the rate for the 18-to-20 age band. It rises to the National Living Wage of £12.71 once you turn 21.
Is the National Living Wage the same as the Real Living Wage?
No. The National Living Wage is the legal minimum, currently £12.71 for workers 21 and over. The Real Living Wage is a voluntary, higher rate — £13.45 UK-wide and £14.80 in London for 2025/26 — paid only by employers accredited by the Living Wage Foundation.
Can my employer pay me less if I get tips?
No. Tips, gratuities and service charges cannot be counted towards National Minimum Wage pay, regardless of how they are distributed. Your base pay before tips must independently meet the minimum wage for your age.
What can I do if I am being underpaid?
Raise it with your employer first if you can. If that does not resolve it, HM Revenue and Customs investigates minimum wage underpayment and can order back pay plus a penalty of up to 200% of what is owed, and you can also complain confidentially through the government’s Pay and Work Rights helpline.
Does the minimum wage apply to under-16s?
No. The National Minimum Wage only applies from school-leaving age, generally 16. Younger children in permitted part-time work are not covered by minimum wage law.
How often does the minimum wage go up?
Once a year, on 1 April, based on recommendations from the Low Pay Commission. The rates on this page apply from 1 April 2026; the next change is expected 1 April 2027.
Where these figures come from. National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates, and the accommodation offset, are set by the government on the advice of the Low Pay Commission and confirmed on gov.uk. Real Living Wage figures are published by the Living Wage Foundation. All figures were checked on 23 September 2026 and reflect confirmed rates effective 1 April 2026.
National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates · Accommodation offset · Living Wage Foundation
How we calculate · Editorial policy. This is general information, not legal advice.