Named and Shamed
Paying national minimum wage incorrectly can be costly in more ways than one.
The Government recently released its latest ‘name and shame’ list of employers who failed to pay national minimum wage to their workers. This potentially reputationally damaging naming and shaming process is on top of fines of up to 200% of the value of the underpayment.
Don’t get caught out
You could accidentally end up paying the wrong rate of national minimum wage if you don’t correctly apply the annual increase which happens from 1st April each year. You could also mistakenly pay the wrong amount if you don’t realise that an employee has moved into an older age category.
New rates
Make sure you check your payroll provision to ensure systems reflect the new figures for national minimum wage which took effect from 1st April 2026:
| Category | Rate |
| Aged 21 and above | £12.71 |
| Aged 18-20 | £10.85 |
| Aged under 18 (but above compulsory school leaving age) | £8.00 |
| Apprentices aged under 19 | £8.00 |
| Apprentices aged 19 or over but in the first year of their apprenticeship | £8.00 |
These are the minimum wages payable. You could replace these amounts by higher payments if you chose to do so voluntarily or if you must do so under the employee’s contract of employment.
Further reading:
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