Minimum Wage UK: What is the Current UK Minimum Wage and Expected Rise in 2025?

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Minimum Wage UK

The minimum wage in the UK is what an employer can pay to their workers. In the UK, the minimum wage rate depends on the age of the workers and whether they are full-time workers or an apprentice.

In a press release published on the UK Government’s authorized website on April 21, the government announced the new minimum wage rates for the citizens. The government has boosted the wage rates by a significant percentage for about 3 million workers in 2025.

Minimum Wage UK Overview

Name Minimum Wage
Country UK
Type Hourly Rate
Applicable from April 1, 2025 – April 31, 2025
National Minimum Wage £10.42 per hour
For more information www.gov.uk

What is the Current UK Minimum Wage?

The current minimum wage in the UK (2024) for people aged 23 and above is set at £10.42 per hour. For workers aged from 21 to 22, the minimum wage is set at £10.18 per hour.

Minimum Wage UK

The minimum wage for people aged between 18 and 20 years is currently set at £7.49 per hour. For workers aged under 18, the hourly rate of £5.28 applies.

Age/Apprentice   April 2025 – April 2025 April 2022 – April 2025 April 2021 – April 2022
23 and over £10.42 per hour £9.50 per hour £8.91 per hour
between 21 and 22 £10.18 per hour £9.18 per hour £8.36 per hour
between 18 and 20 £7.49 per hour £6.83 per hour £6.56 per hour
below 18 £5.28 per hour £4.81 per hour £4.62 per hour
Apprentice £5.28 per hour £4.81 per hour £4.30 per hour

However, if the worker is an apprentice, the minimum wage of £5.28 is paid whether they are aged under 19 or above. Apprentices will be paid at the apprentice rate if –

  • they are below 19 years
  • are in their 1st Apprenticeship year and are 19 years or over.

For example, if an apprentice is 21 years old and is in the 1st apprenticeship year, the minimum wage entitled to them will be £5.28 per hour.

Apprentices will be paid at the national minimum wage according to their age if –

  • are 19 years or older
  • competed the 1st Apprenticeship year

For example, if an apprentice is 21 years old and has completed the 1st apprenticeship year, the minimum wage entitled to them will be £10.18 per hour. However, if they are aged 25 and have completed the 1st apprenticeship year, the minimum wage entitled to them will be £10.42 per hour.

Each year, the minimum wage in the UK Changes on April 1. The current minimum wage rates are applicable from April 1, 2025, to April 31, 2025.

To get the minimum wage, a person should meet the following conditions –

  • should have at least school leaving age
  • aged at least 23 to get the national minimum wage. For workers below 22, a different wage rate is applied.

What is the Minimum Wage Expected Rise in 2025?

The recent budget gave a boost to the minimum wages applicable to workers in 2025. The new rates will be applicable from April 1, 2025 onwards, till April 31, 2025.

According to the Government, workers aged 21 and over will receive the National Minimum Wage. Currently, the workers aged from 21 to 22 are paid at a different rate than the workers aged over 23. But this will be changed in 2025.

Age/Apprentice Minimum Wage Rate
21 or over £11.44 per hour
between 18 and 20 £8.60  per hour
below 18 £6.40 per hour
apprentice £6.40 per hour

Therefore, the workers aged 21 and over will receive £11.44 per hour salary from April 2025 onwards. The workers who are aged between 18 and 20 will receive £8.60 per hour. Whereas the apprentices and workers aged below 18 years will get £6.40 per hour.

More information on the upcoming changes in the minimum wage in 2025 can be obtained from the UK Government’s website.

Minimum Wage Calculator

People can use the minimum wage calculator available on the UK Government’s website to check whether the national minimum wage applies to them or not and get an estimate on how much they can receive depending on their age and work type.

The calculator can be used to find if –

  • a person is getting national minimum wage
  • a person is getting a national living wage
  • an employer owes them past payments due to underpayments

The calculator uses a questionnaire to determine what a person wishes to check. After starting the calculator, a person needs to select one of the 2 available options to proceed. Based on the selections, more personalized questions will appear, and they can be used to determine the minimum wage.

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