What is the national living wage rising to in 2024?
The UK’s national living wage will rise from £10.42 an hour to £11.44 from April, and those aged 21 and 22 will now also be eligible to receive it. The minimum wage is also rising in 2024.
Nearly three million people will benefit from the rise in the national living wage this year. The Treasury says this will add more than £1,800 a year to the pay packets of those on full-time contracts.
Those who are 21 and 22 years old earning the national minimum wage will also earn the same amount as those earning the national living wage.
What is the national living wage?
There is a legal minimum amount that you can be paid per hour that you work.
How much you get depends on your age and whether you are an apprentice. The size of the company doesn’t matter, your employer still has to pay you the correct minimum wage.
The national living wage was introduced in 2016 and now covers anyone aged 23 and over (this fell from 25 and over in April 2021).
Initially, the target was to reach 60% of national median earnings by 2020. Having achieved that, the government set a new target to hit two thirds of median earnings by 2024.
The national living wage changes on April 1 every year. From April 2024, it will rise from £10.42 an hour to £11.44.
According to the government, successive rises to the national living wage mean that if you are a full-time worker, you will be more than £9,000 better off than you would have been in 2010.
What will the minimum wage be in 2024?
Current minimum wage rates you will receive:
Apprentice Rate | 1. National Minimum Wage | 2. National Minimum Wage | 3. National Minimum Wage | National Living Wage | |
Apprentice | Under 18 | 18 to 20 | 21 to 22 | 23 and over | |
April 2022 to March 2023 | £4.81 | £4.81 | £6.83 | £9.18 | £9.50 |
April 2023 to March 2024 | £5.28 | £5.28 | £7.49 | £10.18 | £10.42 |
April 2024 to March 2025 | £6.40 | £6.40 | £8.60 | £11.44 | £11.44 |