Many countries and regions have a basic wage for employee, and the United Kingdom is no exception. Today, let's learn more about the minimum wage in the United Kingdom.
Table of Contents
Background of minimum wage in the United Kingdom
The UK implemented the minimum wage on April 1, 1999. At that time, only individuals aged 18 and above were protected, with the wage for those aged 22 and above being £3.60 per hour, and £3 for those aged 18 to 21. Four and a half years later, on October 1, 2003, the policy was extended to include individuals aged 16 to 17. By October 1, 2010, the minimum wage policy was further expanded to include apprentices.
It is reviewed annually by the independent body - Low Pay Commission, which makes recommendations to the UK government for adjustments. In 2015, then UK Chancellor George Osborne announced during the budget speech the implementation of the National Living Wage (NLW), a new wage standard that only applied to individuals aged 25 and above. Simply put, the minimum wage was hence divided into the following categories: 25 and above, 21-24, 18-20, and apprentices. The wage for those aged 25 and above would be adjusted according to the NLW.
The wage for adults in the past 8 years
The UK minimum wages for 2016 - 2020 are as follows:
| Start Date | 25 years old or above | 21-24 years old | 18-20 years odl |
| 1/4/2016 | £7.2 | £6.7 | £5.4 |
| 1/10/2016 | £7.2 | £6.95 | £5.4 |
| 1/4/2017 | £7.5 | £7.05 | £5.6 |
| 1/4/2018 | £7.83 | £7.38 | £5.9 |
| 1/4/2019 | £8.31 | £7.7 | £6.15 |
| 1/4/2020 | £8.72 | £8.2 | £6.45 |
由2021年4月1開始，NLW 年齡門檻會由25歲下降至23歲，並由由2024年4月1開始，NLW 年齡門檻進一步下降至21歲。2021 – 2024 年最低工資如下：
| Start Date | 23 years old or above | 21-22 years old | 18-20 years odl |
| 1/4/2021 | £8.91 | £8.36 | £6.56 |
| 1/4/2022 | £9.5 | £9.18 | £6.83 |
| 1/4/2023 | £10.42 | £10.18 | £7.49 |
| 1/4/2024 | £11.44 | £11.44 | £8.6 |
2025年之最低工資
最近英國財政大臣就宣布，由2025年4月1日起，21歲或以上嘅最低工資會增加至每小時£12.21，升幅為6.73%，18至20歲人士雖然唔係 NLW 嘅保障對象，但佢地啲工資都會增加到每小時 £10，升幅為16.28%。
Source :
https://www.gov.uk/national-minimum-wage-rates
Take-Home Pay
一般黎講，Full time 每星期工作 37.5 小時，以最新嘅最低工資£12.21計，年薪大約有 £23,809 (37.5 x 52 x 12.21)。
英格蘭居住，而 workplace pension 供緊 5% 嘅話，實際上每個月落袋嘅錢如下(假設2025/26年財政年度稅率不變)：
Monthly deductions:
National Insurance：約 £75（2024年4月6日開始，NI由10%減至8%）
Workplace Pension ：約 £99
Income tax：約 £187
Net pay:
23,809/12 – 75 – 99 – 187
→約 £1,623
Conclusion
I hope this article helps you gain a better understanding of the UK's minimum wage. If you want to learn more about National Insurance, you can refer to another article - Working in the UK: National Insurance (NI) Detailed Discussion.。
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