UK National Minimum Wage Checker
The rate for the worker’s age, and the pay that really counts towards it.
Current GOV.UK rates National Living Wage £12.71 an hour · All rates
| Pay that counts | A week |
|---|
Minimum hourly rates
| Worker | Hourly rate |
|---|---|
| Aged 21 and over (National Living Wage) · this worker | £12.71 |
| Aged 18 to 20 · this worker | £10.85 |
| Under 18 (above school leaving age) · this worker | £8.00 |
| Apprentices under 19, or 19 and over in the first year · this worker | £8.00 |
| Accommodation offset | £11.10 a day£77.70 a week |
The rates change on 1 April every year. Not entitled: the self-employed running their own business, company directors, volunteers, family members living in the employer’s home and some others (see GOV.UK).
Check past pay or arrears with the official calculators: for workers · for employers
Rules used and official sources
For general information only, not legal advice. Templates are generic starting points — have a qualified lawyer review anything you rely on.
About the UK National Minimum Wage Checker
Almost every worker in the UK is entitled to a minimum hourly rate that depends on their age and whether they are an apprentice: £12.71 an hour from 21 (the National Living Wage), £10.85 at 18 to 20, £8.00 under 18 and £8.00 for apprentices under 19 or in their first year. This checker finds the rate that applies and compares it with the pay that counts for minimum wage purposes — which is not always what the payslip shows.
Enter an hourly rate, a weekly or monthly wage or a yearly salary with the hours worked. The checker takes off salary sacrifice and deductions for job costs, leaves out tips, premiums and allowances, applies the accommodation offset, and shows the hourly figure, the shortfall or margin a week and a year, and the rule that set the rate.
How to use it
- Enter the worker’s age and tick Apprentice if it applies (from 19, say whether they are in the first year of the apprenticeship).
- Enter the pay before tax and choose whether it is an hourly rate, a weekly or monthly wage or a yearly salary; enter the hours worked in a typical week.
- Open “Salary sacrifice, deductions, tips and accommodation” if any apply: salary sacrifice, deductions for uniform or tools, tips and premiums included in the pay, and accommodation from the employer with its daily charge.
- Read the hourly pay that counts, the minimum for the worker and the shortfall or margin. The table shows every step.
- Copy the summary. To check past pay or work out arrears, use the official GOV.UK calculator linked under the rates.
Examples
Age 24 · £10.60 an hour · 30 hours a week · free accommodation 7 days
£318 + £77.70 offset = £395.70 a week → £13.19 an hour: meets the National Living Wage
Age 35 · £12.90 an hour · 40 hours · charged £12.50 a day, 7 days
£1.40 a day over the £11.10 offset comes off: £12.65 an hour, below the minimum
Age 27 · £13 an hour · 40 hours · £15 a week for uniform hire
£505 ÷ 40 = £12.625 an hour: £3.40 a week short
Age 25 · £24,000 a year · 37.5 hours a week · 52.14 weeks
£460.30 a week → £12.27 an hour: £16.33 a week short of the National Living Wage
The rates
- 21 and over (National Living Wage): £12.71 an hour
- 18 to 20: £10.85
- Under 18 (above school leaving age): £8.00
- Apprentices under 19, or 19 and over in the first year of the apprenticeship: £8.00
Apprentices aged 19 or over who have finished their first year get the rate for their age. The rates change on 1 April every year. GOV.UK: minimum wage rates.
What counts as pay
Counts: basic pay, bonuses, commission and incentive pay for the worker’s own performance. Income Tax, National Insurance, student loan deductions and the worker’s own pension contributions do not reduce it.
Does not count: tips, gratuities, service and cover charges; for hourly-paid work, the extra part of overtime or shift pay above the basic rate; allowances, unless they are built into basic pay or reward the worker’s performance; expense refunds; benefits in kind such as meals, a car or the employer’s pension contribution.
Reduces it: salary sacrifice (pay given up for a benefit), and deductions or unrefunded payments for things the job needs — uniform, tools, protective equipment, required training. GOV.UK: calculating the minimum wage.
Accommodation offset
Accommodation from the employer is the only benefit in kind that counts. If it is free, the offset of £11.10 a day (£77.70 a week) is added to pay. If the charge (rent plus gas, electricity, furniture or laundry) is at or below the offset, pay is unchanged; above it, the difference comes off. GOV.UK: accommodation and the minimum wage.
Salaries and pay periods
The minimum wage must be met on average for the hours worked in each pay reference period (a week, a month, or another period of up to 31 days). For a salary, the yearly basic hours are spread evenly over the pay periods; employers turn weekly hours into yearly hours with 52, 52.14 or 52.18 weeks and must be able to show how. Choose the same figure here.
Other countries
Working in the United States? The US Minimum Wage by State Checker compares pay with the federal and state minimum wages.
Limitations
- One typical week is checked. Pay that varies, unpaid hours over the contract, or a bonus paid in one month need the check for each pay reference period; GOV.UK’s calculator does that.
- Working time (on call, sleep-in shifts, travel, training) has detailed rules; enter the hours that count as working time.
- Not entitled to the minimum wage: the self-employed running their own business, company directors, volunteers, family members living in the employer’s home and some others listed on GOV.UK.
- The result is not legal advice. Acas gives free, confidential advice on pay disputes.
Privacy
Everything happens in your browser. What you enter or open here is not uploaded or stored by MySmartCoPilot.
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum wage for a 21-year-old?
£12.71 an hour: workers aged 21 and over get the National Living Wage. A 21-year-old apprentice in the first year of the apprenticeship can be paid the apprentice rate of £8.00.
Does salary sacrifice count towards the minimum wage?
No. Pay you give up under salary sacrifice is no longer pay for minimum wage purposes, so it lowers the figure that is checked — and the arrangement must not take you below the minimum. Pension contributions taken from your pay (not salary sacrifice) do not lower it.
Do tips count towards the minimum wage?
No. Tips, gratuities, service charges and cover charges never count, whether they are paid through payroll or given to you directly.
My employer charges for my room. Can that take me below the minimum wage?
Only the part above the accommodation offset of £11.10 a day reduces your pay for minimum wage purposes. A charge at or below the offset has no effect, and free accommodation adds the offset to your pay.
How do I turn my salary into an hourly rate?
Divide the yearly salary by the weeks in a year (52.14 is 365 ÷ 7), then by your weekly hours. £24,000 for 37.5 hours a week is £24,000 ÷ 52.14 ÷ 37.5 = £12.27 an hour.
What can I do if I am paid less than the minimum wage?
Talk to your employer first, and ask in writing to see your pay records. The Acas helpline gives free advice, and you can complain to HM Revenue and Customs, which enforces the minimum wage; employers who underpay must pay the arrears and can be fined and named.