National Living Wage Increases to £12.71 Per Hour from April 2026

Press release

National Living Wage increases to £12.71 per hour

New minimum wage rates come into force from 1 April, following Low Pay Commission recommendations.

From: Low Pay Commission Published 1 April 2026

Increased rates of the National Minimum Wage, including the National Living wage came into force from 1 April 2026. These rates bring into effect recommendations made by the Low Pay Commission last autumn.

The new rates are set out in the table below.

Baroness Philippa Stroud, Chair of the Low Pay Commission, said:

The recommendations we made last autumn sought to balance the need to protect the economy and labour market, whilst providing a real-terms increase for the lowest-paid members of society.

A lot has changed since we gave our advice to the Government last autumn, and we are now beginning to gather evidence for recommendations later this year. The current economic uncertainty makes it essential that the Commission hears from those affected by the minimum wage and builds consensus for evidence-based recommendations.
To mark the uprating, the Low Pay Commission has published a report looking at the immediate impacts of the new rates. It has also published a consultation to inform its recommendations on future minimum wage rates.

NOTES FOR EDITORS

• The LPC’s recommendations were submitted to the Government on 27 October 2025. The Government announced acceptance of those recommendations at the Autumn Budget on Wednesday 26 November.
• The Government’s remit to the LPC, which determines the Commission’s work through the year, was published on 16 March and is available here.
• The National Living Wage (NLW) is currently the statutory minimum wage for workers aged 21 and over. This age threshold came down from 25 to 23 in April 2021 and from 23 to 21 in April 2024.
• The Low Pay Commission is an independent body made up of employers, trade unions and experts whose role is to advise the Government on the minimum wage. The rate recommendations introduced today were agreed unanimously by the Commission. The current Low Pay Commissioners are: Baroness Philippa Stroud (Chair), Nigel Cotgrove, Matthew Fell, Andrew Goodacre, Louise Fisher, Professor Patricia Rice, Simon Sapper, Professor Jonathan Wadsworth and Janet Williamson.
• Baroness Philippa Stroud can be contacted via the Low Pay Commission’s press office (07341 098734).

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