The British National Minimum Wage Regulations

We all know that times are tough at the moment, many people are out of work and the job market is incredibly competitive. There are stories of city workers who have lost £50k jobs being so desperate for work that they are applying for jobs paying £15k, and people that have lost £100k jobs applying for jobs paying £25k. This situation applies across the board, the simple fact is that you have to earn money if you have a mortgage and other debts to service. If you are one of the many people that are currently seeking employment, whether you have lost a job or even looking for your first job, it is always wise to know how much money an employer must pay you by law. When times are tough there will be firms that are looking to bend the rules regarding minimum wage, so this hub intends to help you avoid being exploited and outlines exactly whether you are entitled to minimum wage and how much that minimum wage is.

Certain people are not entitled to the national minimum wage, although most adults are. If you are not working in the UK legally then you are not, obviously, entitled to any wage at all. Those that are self-employed are not entitled to a minimum wage as taking action against yourself would not exactly be clever! In addition those that are on an apprenticeship scheme who are aged under 19 are not entitled to a minimum wage and neither are those aged 19+ who are in the first twelve months of an apprenticeship. Everybody else should be entitled to a minimum payment per one hour of work completed.

Aged 22+

As soon as you hit 22 years of age you are entitled to the upper level of the minimum wage structure, this is £5.73 per hour. If you are aged 22 or over you should NEVER be offered less than this for your efforts, any firm that pays you less than this are breaking the law.

Aged 18-21

Employees that fall within the age bracket of 18-21 have a lower minimum wage than older people, in a bracket known as the 'Development rate'. The law states that any person between the age of 18 and 21 is entitled to a minimum of £4.77 per hour, any company that pays somebody of this age less than £4.77 per hour is breaking the law.

Under 18

The minimum wage for all workers aged under 18, but who are passed school leaving age, is £3.53. A person is no longer of compulsory school age after the last friday of June in the academic year on which their 16th birthday falls.

Other exemptions / allowances

Where the employer provides the employee with accommodation, for example a live-in carers job, the minimum wage can be reduced by upto £4.46 per per day (£31.22 per week) for each day that accommodation is provided.

By underpaid I mean legally of course, not just a feeling that you deserve more money! The minimum wage regulations are enforced by HM Revenue & Customs, a government agency, who respond to complaints about employers who are suspected of not paying their employees minimum wage. They also randomly visit employers and take samples to check that they are being compliant. A team of 16 national minimum wage Compliance Officers work throughout the country to deal with complaints.

If you wish to make a complaint about an employer then you can do so by calling the dedicated helpline number which is 0845 600 0678 and open 9.00am - 5.00pm between Monday and Friday. Alternatively you can submit your complaint using this online form.