Increases in the National Minimum Wage

The  National Living Wage and the National Minimum Wage is the minimum pay per hour almost all workers are entitled to by law. The rates below apply from 1st April 2018:

• Aged 25 and above - £7.83
• Aged 21 to 24 inclusive - £7.38
• Aged 18 to 20 inclusive - £5.90
• Aged under 18 (but above compulsory school leaving age) - £4.20
• Apprentices aged under 19 - £3.70
• Apprentices aged 19 and over, but in the first year of their apprenticeship - £3.70

The £7.83 hourly rate is labelled the National Living Wage; the other rates are referred to as National Minimum Wage rates. 

Remember there are concessions regarding Employer’s National Insurance contributions for the younger members of staff and apprentices, but you must make sure they have the correct National Insurance category letter.

To understand what the impact of the increase is, here’s an example of how much extra the new living wage rate of £7.83 would cost you for a staff member working 35 hours per week:

(£7.83 - £7.05) x (52 weeks x 35 hours) = 78p x 1,820 hours = £1,419.60

Furthermore, there would be Employer’s National Insurance at 13.8% of £195.90.

So all-in-all, this employee would cost an additional £1,615.50 a year from 1st April 2018.

TaxAssist Accountants offer payroll services, including looking after Benefit in Kind Forms P11D and ensuring you’re compliant with Auto Enrolment. For more information, contact your local TaxAssist Accountant. 

Date published 2 Mar 2018 | Last updated 20 Sep 2022

This article is intended to inform rather than advise and is based on legislation and practice at the time. Taxpayer’s circumstances do vary and if you feel that the information provided is beneficial it is important that you contact us before implementation. If you take, or do not take action as a result of reading this article, before receiving our written endorsement, we will accept no responsibility for any financial loss incurred.