Pay and benefits / UK rates
Minimum wage: £12.71 an hour.
The National Living Wage for workers aged 21 and over since 1 April 2026. Below are the other age rates and the weekly rates for sick pay, maternity pay, Child Benefit and the State Pension.
Hourly rates by age.
01 / Minimum wageSource: National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates (GOV.UK) Checked
| From | 21 and over | 18 to 20 | Under 18 | Apprentice |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 April 2026 (now) | £12.71 | £10.85 | £8.00 | £8.00 |
| 1 April 2027 | £13.21 | £11.27 | £8.31 | £8.31 |
- The rates change on 1 April each year. The apprentice rate is for apprentices under 19, or aged 19 or over and in the first year of their apprenticeship.
- These are hourly rates before tax. To see what a wage leaves after tax and National Insurance, use the take-home pay calculator.
Sick pay, maternity pay, Child Benefit and State Pension.
02 / Weekly payments| Payment | A week | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Statutory Sick Pay | £123.25 | Statutory Sick Pay (GOV.UK) | |
| Statutory Maternity Pay after the first 6 weeks | £194.32 | Maternity pay and leave (GOV.UK) | |
| Child Benefit, eldest or only child | £27.05 | Child Benefit (GOV.UK) | |
| Child Benefit, each additional child | £17.90 | Child Benefit (GOV.UK) | |
| The full new State Pension | £241.30 | The new State Pension (GOV.UK) |
- Statutory Sick Pay is the lower of this amount and 80% of normal weekly earnings. Statutory Maternity Pay is 90% of average weekly earnings for the first 6 weeks, then the lower of this amount and 90% of earnings for the next 33.
- The State Pension is the full rate of the new State Pension. What you get depends on your National Insurance record: check your forecast on GOV.UK.
- Not everyone gets these. Eligibility rules are on each GOV.UK page, and help with bills lists support you might be missing.
Data sources
- National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates (GOV.UK). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Statutory Sick Pay (GOV.UK). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Maternity pay and leave (GOV.UK). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Child Benefit (GOV.UK). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- The new State Pension (GOV.UK). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.