Free tool · rates from 1 April 2026
Minimum wage checker
The legal minimums by age band, and whether a rate you pay clears them. Enforced by HMRC with back pay, penalties and public naming, so worth thirty seconds.
Rates checked 18 August 2026
The two ways firms fail this without noticing. Accommodation: only £11.10 a day can count towards the minimum, and charging more than that quietly drags a legal looking hourly rate below the line. Birthdays: the higher band applies from the start of the next pay reference period after the birthday, and a 21st missed by payroll is the classic HMRC finding.
The 2026/27 rates
From 1 April 2026: £12.71 an hour at 21 and over, £10.85 at 18 to 20, £8.00 under 18, and £8.00 for apprentices who are under 19 or in the first year. After the first year, an apprentice aged 19 or over moves to the rate for their age. Time spent on required training counts as working time and must be paid.
Contracts drift below the line every April
A rate set in an offer letter two years ago may be under the minimum today. The free review checks your contracts against the current figures.
Get the free handbook review