Rate of record
When will minimum wage go up?
The next statutory rise is on 1 April 2027, when the National Living Wage goes up to £13.21 an hour for workers aged 21 and over. The rates were confirmed on 28 October 2026, when the government accepted the Low Pay Commission's advice in full.
The rates from 1 April 2027
- 21 and over (National Living Wage): £13.21 an hour
- 18 to 20: £11.27 an hour
- 16 to 17: £8.31 an hour
- Apprentice: £8.31 an hour
- Accommodation offset: £11.53 a day
Every band rises 3.9%gov.uk. The per-band comparison with today's rates, and what the rise is worth in a year, is on the minimum wage April 2027 page.
The cadence
Since 2017 the cadence has been: LPC remit issued in spring, evidence gathering across the summer, recommendation in October or November, government acceptance at or around the Budget, statutory rates effective the following 1 April. For 2027 the LPC published its advice on 28 October 2026 and the government accepted it in fullgov.uk.
The LPC remit
The 2026 remit keeps two-thirds of median hourly earnings as the key reference point for the NLW, and commits to aligning the 18-20 rate with the NLW, with the LPC free to set the pacegov.uk. For April 2027 the LPC stopped short of the reference point (it estimated reaching it would need £13.44) and paused 18-20 alignment, raising that band by the same 3.9% as the NLWgov.uk.
After April 2027
The following rise is due on 1 April 2028. Those rates are not set yet; on the usual cadence the LPC reports in autumn 2027.