The National Minimum Wage & National Living Wage In 2019
What is the National Minimum Wage?
The National Minimum Wage (NMW) is the minimum hourly rate that most workers in the UK must be paid. The rate is dependent on your age, with different minimum wages applying for younger workers and apprentices. The NMW was first introduced in 1999 and is currently set to change every April.
National Minimum Wage (NMW) 2019
What will the National Minimum Wage be from April 2019?
The table below sets out how the NMW will change in April 2019.
Year 25 and over 21 to 24 18 to 20 Under 18 Apprentice
April 2018 £7.83 £7.38 £5.90 £4.20 £3.70
April 2019 £8.21 £7.70 £6.15 £4.35 £3.90
Who is entitled to the National Minimum Wage?
Most workers that are of school leaving age are entitled to the NMW. This includes part-time workers, homeworkers, agency workers, foreign workers, trainees and casual labourers.
Who is not entitled to the National Minimum Wage?
Some workers are not entitled to receive the NMW. This includes self-employed workers, volunteers, non-executive company directors, family workers, members of the armed forces, prisoners and students working on a placement not exceeding one year as a required part of a further or higher education course.
What is the National Living Wage?
Since April 2016, workers aged 25 or over have been entitled to receive the National Living Wage (NLW). Originally introduced as a premium on top of the NMW, the NLW is now effectively one of the five age-related rates shown in the table above.
The NLW should not be confused with the Living Wage set by the Living Wage Foundation, which promotes a voluntary minimum hourly rate of pay calculated according to the basic cost of living.
Who enforces the National Minimum Wage?
The NMW is enforced by HMRC. The enforcement measures available to HMRC include service of notices of underpayment, civil penalties, “naming and shaming”, recovery of underpayments through tribunals or civil courts, and criminal prosecution.
A worker who does not receive the NMW is also entitled to bring claims for unlawful deduction from wages in the Employment Tribunal.
The government publishes guidelines on who is and is not entitled to the Minimum Wage on their website.