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What is the national minimum wage?

The national minimum wage is the least an employer can legally pay someone working in the UK. The rates go up every year on 1 April. You will receive the new rate in your first full pay cycle after that date.
Most workers are entitled to the minimum wage. The only ones that aren&rsquo;t are:
<ul>
<li>prisoners</li>
<li>people living and working in a religious community</li>
<li>the armed forces</li>
<li>company directors</li>
<li>people on work experience</li>
<li>people shadowing someone in the workplace</li>
<li>people who haven&rsquo;t reached school leaving age</li>
<li>company directors</li>
<li>volunteers</li>
<li>self-employed people working for their own business</li>
<li>people on a Jobcentre Plus work trial for up to six weeks</li>
</ul>

What are the minimum wage rates?

<table border="1" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 77.6471%; height: 117px;"><colgroup><col style="width: 18.5328%;"><col style="width: 14.9614%;"><col style="width: 16.6988%;"><col style="width: 16.6988%;"><col style="width: 16.6988%;"><col style="width: 16.4093%;"></colgroup>
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 19.5938px;">
<td style="height: 19.5938px;"></td>
<td style="height: 19.5938px;">Apprentice</td>
<td style="height: 19.5938px;">Under-18</td>
<td style="height: 19.5938px;">Ages 18-20</td>
<td style="height: 19.5938px;">Ages 21-22</td>
<td style="height: 19.5938px;">Over-23</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19.5938px;">
<td style="height: 19.5938px;">Current</td>
<td style="height: 19.5938px;">&pound;4.81</td>
<td style="height: 19.5938px;">&pound;4.81</td>
<td style="height: 19.5938px;">&pound;6.83</td>
<td style="height: 19.5938px;">&pound;9.18</td>
<td style="height: 19.5938px;">&pound;9.50</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 19.5938px;">
<td style="height: 19.5938px;">From 1 April 2023</td>
<td style="height: 19.5938px;">&pound;5.28</td>
<td style="height: 19.5938px;">&pound;5.28</td>
<td style="height: 19.5938px;">&pound;7.49</td>
<td style="height: 19.5938px;">&pound;10.18</td>
<td style="height: 19.5938px;">&pound;10.42</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>

Common situations where you might be underpaid

<ol>
<li> You&rsquo;re not being paid for ALL your working time</li>
</ol>
Your employer must pay you for all your working time including:
<ul>
<li>training</li>
<li>overtime</li>
<li>travelling as part of your job</li>
<li>arriving early and leaving late to carry out duties such as opening or closing up</li>
</ul>
<ol start="2">
<li> You&rsquo;re having to buy things to do your job</li>
</ol>
If you need to buy things like clothing or tools, your employer needs to make sure these costs don&rsquo;t effectively take your pay below the national minimum wage. This is the case whether you buy the items direct from your employer or from a shop.
<ol start="3">
<li> Your pay is being topped up with overtime, commission or tips</li>
</ol>
Overtime, commission and tips must be on top of the minimum wage.
<ol start="4">
<li> You&rsquo;re a commission-only worker</li>
</ol>
If you don&rsquo;t make enough commission in any regular pay period, your employer must top up your earnings so that they meet the minimum wage requirements. If you work set hours, you should be paid at least the minimum wage for these hours. Otherwise, your pay should be based on a &lsquo;fair estimate&rsquo; of how long the work should take.
<ol start="5">
<li> You&rsquo;re being paid as an apprentice but not trained like one</li>
</ol>
If your apprenticeship doesn&rsquo;t include structured training, you should be paid the minimum wage for your age rather than the apprentice wage. Training should have a specific timescale and aim, as well as equipping you with transferable skills you&rsquo;ll be able to use to progress in your chosen career.

What to do if you think you’ve been underpaid

If you believe you&rsquo;ve been paid less than the minimum wage, you can make a complaint.
The complaint process:
<ul>
<li>If you feel comfortable doing so, you may want to talk to the employer concerned as a first step to see if the issue can be sorted amicably.</li>
<li>If you don&rsquo;t feel comfortable talking directly to your current or previous employer, you can <a href="https://www.gov.uk/pay-and-work-rights">ring the confidential Acas helpline</a> for help solving a payment dispute.</li>
<li>You can also <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pay-and-work-rights-complaints">make a complaint to HMRC</a>.</li>
<li>Or <a href="https://www.gov.uk/employment-tribunals">make a claim to an employment tribunal</a>.</li>
</ul>

What happens after you’ve made a complaint to HMRC?

If HMRC find that your employer has underpaid you, they can:
<ul>
<li>make your employer pay you back the amount you&rsquo;ve been underpaid, going back six years at current minimum wage rates</li>
<li>fine your employer</li>
<li>take your employer to court if they refuse to pay</li>
</ul>

National minimum wage

Smiling female textile worker carrying large roll of material

A guide covering national minimum wage rates, why you might have been underpaid, and what you should do if you think you've been underpaid.

Half a million people in the UK may be getting paid less than the national minimum wage, according to the Low Pay Commission. So, what is the national minimum wage and what should you do if you think you&rsquo;ve been underpaid?

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Step 1 – check your credit history is accurate

Your credit history goes back 72 months (six years), and it records every time you make a repayment on time &ndash; or every time you don&rsquo;t. It updates every month, so each month some information drops off and new information is added.
Lender's check your credit history when you apply to borrow from them. Your credit score, or credit rating, is a number that the three credit reference agencies calculate to help explain how your credit history will look to lenders.
You can check your credit history for free for free at the following links:
<ul>
<li>Equifax via&nbsp;<a href="https://www.clearscore.com/">Clearscore</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.experian.co.uk/consumer/statutory-report.html">Experian</a></li>
<li>TransUnion (which was CallCredit) via&nbsp;<a href="https://www.creditkarma.co.uk/">Credit Karma</a></li>
</ul>
Checking your report has no effect on your credit score.
It is a good idea to check all three credit reference agencies to ensure that the details they hold are correct. They may not all hold the same information about you. If some details are wrong, you can contact the agencies to get them corrected. For example, if your credit report states that you have a &lsquo;financial association&rsquo; with someone you&rsquo;re no longer linked to, you can submit a &lsquo;notice of disassociation&rsquo;. You can find details of how to make these corrections on the credit reference agencies&rsquo; websites.

How can I improve my credit score?

Half a million people in the UK may be getting paid less than the national minimum wage, according to the Low Pay Commission. So, what is the national minimum wage and what should you do if you think you&rsquo;ve been underpaid?

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How to clean up your credit history and boost your credit score so you can get closer to your financial goals.

A poor credit score can affect your life in several ways. You may find it more difficult &ndash; and/or more expensive &ndash; to get a mortgage, buy a car or even take out a mobile phone contract. Cleaning up your credit history and boosting your score can get you closer to your financial goals. We&rsquo;ve put together a step-by-step guide to doing just that.

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