Increases to the national minimum wage and statutory payments

The following increases to the national minimum wage rates will take effect on 1 April 2026:

- For those aged 21 and over the rate will rise from £12.21 to £12.71.
- For those aged 18 to 20 the rate will rise from £10 to £10.85.
- For those aged 16 to 17 (and apprentices) the rate will rise from £7.55 to £8.

The Low Pay Commission (LPC) has also recommended that the National Living Wage (NLW) (currently applicable to those aged 21 and over) will extend to 20 year-olds in 2027 and to 18 and 19 year-olds in 2028 or 2029, subject to economic conditions and government policy at the time. This will achieve the government's stated long-term goal of having a single adult rate for the national minimum wage. The LPC has committed to consulting further on this approach.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has published its planned increases to various statutory payments from April 2026:

- The weekly rate of statutory sick pay (SSP) will  rise from £118.75 to £123.25
- The weekly rates of statutory maternity pay, maternity allowance, statutory adoption pay, statutory paternity pay, statutory shared parental pay, statutory neonatal care pay and statutory parental bereavement pay will  rise from £187.18 to £194.32.
- The lower earnings limit will rise from £125 to £129.