National minimum wage 20 years on: resource round-up
April 2019 marks 20 years since the launch of the national minimum wage. The National Minimum Wage Act 1998 introduced a minimum hourly amount that every worker across the UK is entitled to be paid. The minimum wage rates took effect from 1 April 1999 and are reviewed annually by the Low Pay Commission.
Different levels of pay apply, depending on the worker's age. The majority of workers older than compulsory school age qualify to receive the national minimum wage, while the national living wage is the rate for workers aged 25 or over.
Here we round up some of the key resources available on the national minimum wage.
National minimum wage rates
Understanding the national minimum wage
- Who is eligible for the national minimum wage?
- What is the national living wage?
- When a worker turns age 23, are they entitled to be paid the national living wage rate from the date of their birthday?
- National minimum wage: the basics
Did you know?
The level of the minimum wage is reviewed each year, with uprating taking place on 1 April.
Practical guidance on applying the national minimum wage
- How to review your organisation's pay rates against the national minimum wage
- Read 10 worked examples setting out how to determine whether or not a worker is being paid the national minimum wage in various scenarios
Advising workers of the new rates from 1 April
- Letter providing national minimum wage statement
- Letter advising worker of rise in their national minimum wage rate
- Letter advising worker they are moving to higher national minimum wage age band
Enforcement of the national minimum wage
- What are the consequences if an employer pays workers less than the national minimum wage?
- Does an employer need to provide evidence that it is meeting the requirements of the national minimum wage?
Did you know?
Employers that fail to comply with national minimum wage rules may be subject to criminal prosecution, penalties and being publicly named.
Looking ahead
- Low Pay Commission consults on national minimum wage
- Good work plan banning employers from making deductions from staff tips
- National minimum wage: Future developments
- Cases on appeal: Royal Mencap Society v Tomlinson-Blake