Rate of record
National Living Wage: £12.71 from 1 April 2026
The National Living Wage is the statutory minimum hourly rate for workers aged 21 and over. From 1 April 2026 it is £12.71. The 23+ threshold was dropped to 21+ on 1 April 2024.
National Living Wage
21+£12.71
per hour
£476.63 / 37.5h week
£24,785 / year
The rate, in numbers
- £12.71 per hour, effective 1 April 2026gov.uk
- £476.63 per 37.5-hour week
- £508.40 per 40-hour week
- £24,785 gross annual (37.5h)
- £26,437 gross annual (40h)
Who it covers
All workers aged 21 and over. The threshold was 25 from 2016 to 2021, 23 from 2021 to 2024, and 21 from 1 April 2024. The 18-20 band still exists and is closing on the NLW per the Low Pay Commission trajectorygov.uk.
Uplift versus 2025/26
The NLW rose from £12.21 to £12.71, an uplift of 4.1%. For a full-time NLW worker on a 37.5-hour week that is roughly £975 more per year gross.
What the Low Pay Commission recommends next
The LPC remit currently targets the NLW at two-thirds of median hourly earnings for those aged 21 and over. Final 2027 figures land in autumn 2026gov.uk.