National Minimum Wage Rates from 1st April 2026

Every year, the National Minimum Wage (NMW) including the National Living Wage (NLW) are set to rise from the 1st April.

The new rates from the 1st April 2026 will be:

• NLW 21 years old and over: £12.71 per hour 

• Age18-20: £10.85 per hour 

• Age under 18 but above compulsory school leaving age: £8.00 per hour  

• Apprentices aged under 19: £8.00 per hour 

• Apprentices aged over 19 but in their first year of apprenticeship: £8.00 per hour 

If you pay any employees the NLW or NMW, or close to it, it’s a good idea to check their current pay now to see what adjustments you need to make ready for April.

Other important rises from 6th April 2026

Weekly rates that will apply from 6th April include:

• Statutory maternity, paternity, adoption, parental bereavement, neonatal care, and shared parental leave payments will rise to £194.32 per week.

• Statutory sick pay, which will rise to £123.25 per week from 6th April.

If this is written into your policies then don’t forget to amend them ready for April.

Employment Rights Bill roadmap: Key dates for April 2026

• Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) will be payable from the first day of sickness absence (removing the current 3-day "waiting period")

• Lower Earnings Limit (LEL) will be removed for Statutory Sick Pay (SSP), which means employees earning below the current threshold of £125 per week will become eligible for SSP

  
  

• Paternity leave will become a day-one right (currently employees must have 26 weeks continuous service to qualify)

  
  

• Unpaid parental leave will become a day-one right (currently employees must have 12 months continuous service to qualify)

  
  

• Whistleblowing - reports of sexual harassment will become protected disclosures under clause 22 of the Employment Rights Bill, which means workers who report sexual harassment can gain specific legal protections against dismissal and detriment. 

Day One unfair dismissal defeated by House of Lords

A key part of the government’s Employment Rights Bill, due to come into force in 2027, was its pledge to make unfair dismissal a day one right.

The Employment Rights Bill also introduced an ‘initial period of employment’, likely to be nine months, during which employers could dismiss staff using a simpler process.  The government planned to consult on the rules for this process over the next year.

However, on 16^th July 2025, the House of Lords has voted to remove the initial period entirely. Instead, they have amended the Employment Rights Bill to reduce the qualifying period for unfair dismissal from two years to six months.