Overview
- From April 2026, the National Living Wage for ages 21+ will be £12.71, with 18–20s rising to £10.85 and 16–17s and apprentices to £8.
- The government estimates a full-time worker on the National Living Wage will earn about £900 more a year, with total beneficiaries put at roughly 2.7 million.
- Workers aged 18–20 are expected to see about £1,500 more a year, which ministers say advances the goal of phasing out age-based pay bands.
- Unions welcomed the above-inflation rise, while the Living Wage Foundation noted the statutory rates still trail the voluntary Real Living Wage of £13.45 UK-wide and £14.80 in London.
- Business groups and think-tanks warned higher wage floors could raise costs, feed price increases, and risk youth hiring, though the government points to a 25% corporation tax cap and planned business rates reform as support.