The Government is pressing ahead with plans to increase the rates of the National Living Wage (NLW) and the National Minimum Wage (NMW) from 1 April 2021, while people aged 23 and 24 will be entitled to the National Living Wage for the first time.
The NLW will rise from £8.72 an hour to £8.91 an hour, the NMW for people aged over 21 will rise from £8.20 to £8.36, for those aged 18 to 20 it will increase from £6.45 to £6.56, while the under 18 rate will rise from £4.55 to £4.62. The rate for apprentices will rise from £4.15 to £4.30.
Employers who pay workers less than the minimum wage are required to pay back arrears to the worker and HMRC can also issue fines of up to 200 per cent of arrears (capped at £10,000 per worker).
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) also has the power to publicly name and shame the worst offenders as a deterrent to others.
