Answers · UK 2025/26

How much do 18 to 20-year-olds earn on minimum wage in 2026/27?

For 2026/27 the minimum wage for 18 to 20-year-olds is £10.85 an hour. Full-time at 37.5 hours a week that is about £407 a week or roughly £21,160 a year before tax. At 21 you move up to the National Living Wage of £12.71 an hour.

Last updated: 7 June 2026Last reviewed: 7 June 2026How we verify

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For 2026/27 the National Minimum Wage rate for workers aged 18 to 20 is £10.85 an hour. This sits between the apprentice and under-18 rate of £8.00 an hour and the full National Living Wage of £12.71 an hour, which applies once you turn 21. The government has been gradually closing the gap between the 18 to 20 rate and the 21-and-over rate, with the aim of eventually having a single adult rate, so the 18 to 20 rate has been rising faster than inflation in recent years. To put £10.85 an hour into context, working full time at 37.5 hours a week gives about £407 a week, roughly £1,763 a month, or around £21,160 a year before deductions. Because that annual figure is above the £12,570 Personal Allowance, an 18 to 20-year-old working full time on the minimum wage would pay some Income Tax at 20% and National Insurance at 8% on earnings above the threshold, leaving take-home of roughly £18,500 a year. Part-time and weekend workers earn proportionally less and may stay below the tax threshold entirely. The minimum wage is a legal floor, so your employer must pay at least this, including for time spent training and, in some cases, travelling between work assignments. When you turn 21, your employer must increase your pay to at least the National Living Wage of £12.71 from the start of the next pay reference period. Use a take-home pay calculator to see what your hourly rate works out to per week, month and year after tax and National Insurance.