UK Minimum Wage Take-Home Pay 2026/27

From 1 April 2026, the National Living Wage (for workers aged 21 and over) is £12.71 an hour, with lower age-band rates for younger workers and apprentices. The figures below show what a full-time worker on each rate actually takes home after Income Tax and National Insurance, assuming a standard 37.5-hour week worked 52 weeks a year — a common full-time pattern, though actual contracted hours vary by employer. Many minimum wage roles are part-time, in which case your take-home would be lower in proportion to hours worked; use the calculator above for your exact hours and pay.

The apprentice rate of £8.00 an hour applies to apprentices under 19, and those 19 or over who are in their first year of an apprenticeship — after that, apprentices are entitled to the National Minimum Wage rate for their age. All figures above use the 2026/27 Personal Allowance of £12,570 and Class 1 employee National Insurance thresholds, which apply the same way regardless of age. These are estimates for England, Wales and Northern Ireland; part-time hours, student loan repayments, or pension contributions would change the result. Use the calculator for your exact hours and pay.