Hundreds of thousands of Londoners will be getting a pay rise from today as the government’s National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage increases come into effect.
Across the UK, an estimated three million Brits, including up to 260,000 Londoners, are set to benefit from the wage increase.
According to Downing Street, Brits earning the living wage and working full time will take home £1,400 more per year due to the increase.
It’s not the only change coming in on 1 April either, as there will also be bigger pay rises for other tiers of the National Living Wage, as the top rate is for those aged 21 and above, along with pay for apprentices.
18 to 20-year-olds on the living wage will be getting a 16.3 percent increase in pay, with their rate increasing from £8.60 an hour to a tidy £10.
It’s the under-18s and apprentices who will see the biggest pay increase next week though, as now their hourly rate will now shoot up from £6.40 to £7.55.
The age at which Brits have been paid the living wage has lowered in recent years, in 2021 it dropped from 25 to 23 and last year it dropped from 23 to 21
The government is looking to further reduce this from 21 to 18 in the future, increasing the number of Brits who would be paid the top rate of living wage.
The full increases from 1 April 2025 are:
- National Living Wage (21+) has increased 6.7%, from £11.44 to £12.21 per hour
- National Minimum Wage (18-20) has a record increase of 16.2%, from £8.60 to £10 per hour
- National Minimum Wage (under 18) has increased 18%, to £7.55 per hour
- Apprentice Rate has the largest increase of 18%, from £6.40 to £7.55 per hour
- Accommodation Offset of £10.66 per day
Employment Rights Minister Justin Madders said: “Hard work deserves to be rewarded and this Government’s Plan to Make Work Pay is making that a reality.
“We’re raising the floor for workers from Wembley to Woolwich, putting more money into their pockets and delivering the increased living standards needed to kickstart economic growth across London.”
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