UK Minimum Wage Checker Widget

Give workers and small employers a quick check: enter pay and hours, pick the age band and apprenticeship status, and see the hourly rate against the legal minimum from 1 April 2026 - with any shortfall per hour and for the period.

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<iframe src="https://a2z.tools/embed/w/uk-minimum-wage-checker" title="UK Minimum Wage Checker by A2Z Tools" width="100%" height="860" style="border:0;width:100%" loading="lazy" allow="clipboard-write"></iframe>

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How it works

Hourly pay is the pay for a period divided by the hours worked in it - £480 for a 37.5-hour week is £12.80. The legal minimum depends on age and apprenticeship: from 1 April 2026 the National Living Wage for those aged 21 and over is £12.71, the 18 to 20 rate £10.85, and the under-18 and apprentice rates £8.00. GOV.UK's apprentice rule is applied exactly: an apprentice under 19 always gets the apprentice rate, and one aged 19 or over gets it only in the first year of the apprenticeship, after which the age rate applies. Because 18-year-olds are under 19, the age choice separates 18 from 19-20. A pay-period switch also checks the year to 31 March 2026 (£12.21, £10.00 and £7.55) for back-pay questions. When pay is short the widget shows the gap per hour and for the period entered.

Calculation method

  • Hourly pay = pay for the period / hours worked in the period
  • Rate: apprentice AND (under 19 OR first year) -> apprentice rate; else 21+ -> National Living Wage; 18-20 -> 18 to 20 rate; under 18 -> under-18 rate
  • Rates from 1 April 2026: 21+ £12.71, 18-20 £10.85, under 18 £8.00, apprentice £8.00
  • Shortfall per hour = max(0, minimum - hourly pay); period shortfall = shortfall per hour x hours

Worked examples

Adult worker, weekly pay

Inputs: Age 21 and over, £480 for 37.5 hours, from 1 April 2026

Result: £12.80 an hour - at or above the £12.71 minimum (margin £0.09)

£480 / 37.5 = £12.80.

Second-year apprentice aged 19-20

Inputs: Apprentice, not first year, £400 for 40 hours

Result: £10.00 an hour - below the £10.85 18 to 20 rate; shortfall £0.85 an hour, £34.00 for the week

After the first year a 19-year-old apprentice is paid by age band.

A first check of the figures entered, not legal advice. Minimum wage law has detailed rules on working time and pay that can change the answer.

Limitations

  • The accommodation offset, deductions and payments that reduce pay for minimum-wage purposes are not modelled.
  • Salaried-hours, output-work and unmeasured-work rules, and what counts as working time (travel, training, on-call), are not applied.
  • Only the 2025-26 and 2026-27 rate years are included; older periods need the GOV.UK history.

Where publishers use it

  • A trade union or advice charity page where shift workers check whether a weekly wage meets the legal rate
  • A small café or salon owner's HR guide checking an 18-year-old's pay after their birthday
  • An apprenticeship provider explaining when the £8.00 apprentice rate stops applying
  • A student jobs board flagging adverts whose hourly pay is under the age-band minimum
  • A payroll bureau's blog post on the April 2026 increase, letting readers re-check last year's pay

Questions

What are the rates from 1 April 2026?

£12.71 an hour for workers aged 21 and over (the National Living Wage), £10.85 for ages 18 to 20, £8.00 for under-18s and £8.00 for apprentices who qualify for the apprentice rate. The previous rates, to 31 March 2026, were £12.21, £10.00, £7.55 and £7.55.

When does an apprentice get the apprentice rate?

When they are under 19, or aged 19 or over and in the first year of the apprenticeship. A 20-year-old in the second year is entitled to the 18 to 20 rate of £10.85, and a 23-year-old in the second year to £12.71.

Is a monthly salary checked the same way?

Yes - divide the month's pay by the hours actually worked in that month. £2,100 for 160 hours is £13.125 an hour, above £12.71. Salaried-hours work has detailed rules about annual hours that this widget does not apply.

Does accommodation provided by the employer count?

Only up to the accommodation offset, and some deductions and payments (for example uniform costs or tips) change what counts as pay. None of that is modelled here, so enter pay before any deductions and treat the result as a first check.

What if the check shows underpayment?

Check the full pay reference period and the hours that count first. GOV.UK directs workers who think they are not getting the minimum wage to contact Acas.

Sources

  1. National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates - GOV.UK . Rates from 1 April 2026 and April 2025 to March 2026; apprentice rule (under 19, or 19 and over in the first year); contact Acas if underpaid. Checked 2026-10-01.
  2. Rates and thresholds for employers 2026 to 2027 - HM Revenue & Customs (GOV.UK) . Same minimum wage figures in the employer summary. Checked 2026-10-01.

Cite or recommend this tool

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A2Z Tools UK Minimum Wage Checker
https://a2z.tools/embed/uk-minimum-wage-checker

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