National Minimum Wage 2026: rates and rules
From 1 April 2026 the National Living Wage for workers aged 21 and over is £12.71 an hour. Younger workers and apprentices have their own rates. Shiftbrook records hours. It does not work out whether those hours were paid at the legal rate.
The rates from 1 April 2026
These are the statutory rates on GOV.UK for the year that started on 1 April 2026. They are not a voluntary living-wage figure from a campaign group.
Workers aged 21 and over: £12.71 an hour, called the National Living Wage. Workers aged 18 to 20: £10.85. Workers under 18, but above school-leaving age: £8.00. The apprentice rate is £8.00 for apprentices under 19, and for apprentices aged 19 or over who are still in the first year of their apprenticeship. After that first year, an apprentice aged 19 or over gets the rate for their age.
The accommodation offset is £11.10 a day. That is the most an employer can count towards minimum wage when they provide accommodation. It is not a rent you must charge. The rates change on 1 April each year, so a rota written in March can still be worked after the new figures start.
What the rate is measured against
Minimum wage is not a sticker on one hour. It is pay for the hours that count as work, in a pay reference period. Unpaid extra time, a trial shift that was real work, and time spent travelling between sites during the day can all count. The commute to a single workplace usually does not.
A premium you choose to pay for nights or Sundays can count towards the rate, but it does not let another hour fall below it. Deductions for your own benefit, such as a uniform the worker must buy from you, can reduce the pay that counts. Tips paid directly by the customer do not count towards the rate. The detail is on the GOV.UK page linked below. This page does not replace it.
What a rota can and cannot check
A rota tells you who was expected, and for how long. A timesheet tells you which hours were submitted and approved. Neither one knows the hourly rate, the tax, or the deductions. Shiftbrook does not calculate pay, and it does not tell you that a week met the minimum wage. Download the approved hours as a CSV and do that check in payroll, against the rate for each person’s age.
The work hours calculator turns a start, a finish and an unpaid break into a length of time. It is an estimate of duration. It is not a wage. If a break is unpaid, be sure the person was actually relieved of duties. A break spent covering the door is still work.
Questions
Which rate applies on a birthday?
The rate follows the worker’s age. When they turn 18 or 21, the higher rate applies from the next pay reference period. Check the GOV.UK guidance for the exact changeover. Do not wait until the following April.
Does a salaried manager still have a minimum wage?
Yes, if they are a worker. Divide the pay that counts by the hours that count in the pay reference period. A salary can fall short if the hours run long.
Will Shiftbrook flag a rate?
No. There is no hourly rate on the shift. The product keeps the hours. Payroll keeps the rate.
Sources
Timesheets · Work hours calculator · Time off in lieu · Zero-hours contracts