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Money Wellness are encouraging people to speak up about debt ahead of Time to Talk Day on 2 February 2023.

We’re encouraging people to speak up about debt ahead of Time to Talk Day on 2 February

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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

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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?

Credit Scores Explained: How to Improve Yours

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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?

Help with bailiffs: what enforcement agents can and can't do

Bailiffs' Role: Bailiffs collect debts after court action, acting on behalf of lenders, landlords, or authorities for unpaid debts, fines, or repossessions.
Types of Bailiffs: Four types: private enforcement officers, county court officers , high court officers, and magistrates' officers.
Home Entry: Bailiffs can only enter with permission, during the day, and not if vulnerable people are present.
Payment Plans: Bailiffs can refuse payment offers, but you should still make payments and contact the lender directly.

In summary

These days, bailiffs are officially referred to as enforcement agents. But they&rsquo;re still commonly known as bailiffs. Their job is to remove and sell your goods to pay off a debt. They do this on behalf of lenders in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Scotland has sheriff officers instead. They work a little differently. If you have bailiffs at your door, it helps to know your rights and understand what a bailiff can and can&rsquo;t do.

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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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.
Lenders check your credit history when you apply to borrow. Your credit score, or credit rating, is a number provided by the three credit reference agencies to show how your credit history looks to lenders.
You can check your credit history for free at the following places:
<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 any details are wrong, you can ask the agencies to correct the inaccuracies. For example, if your credit report states that you have a '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.

Step 2 – deal with your debts

People sometimes tell us they&rsquo;re worried that beginning a debt solution will have a negative impact on their credit score. And they're right, to some extent. Insolvency solutions are recorded on your credit report for at least six years from the date they start. These include bankruptcy, debt relief orders and individual voluntary arrangements.
Debt management plans (DMPs) aren&rsquo;t directly recorded on your credit report. However, as you don't repay your debts as originally agreed when you're on a DMP, lenders are likely to send you notices of default. Defaults are recorded on your credit report for six years, so this will have a negative effect on your credit score.
But let&rsquo;s look at the big picture. Are you struggling to keep up with your financial commitments? Maybe you&rsquo;re missing payments on loans or credit cards, or even your everyday bills. This will damage your credit score anyway, not to mention your peace of mind. If your lenders issue defaults or even county court judgments against you, these will be recorded on your credit report. What&rsquo;s more, struggling with money worries can have an impact on your mental health, your relationships and other areas of your life. We think that&rsquo;s why our customers say the impact of a debt solution on their credit score is worth it in the long run.&nbsp;

Step 3 – rebuild

Once your debts are sorted, you&rsquo;ll have an opportunity to start rebuilding your credit history. What&rsquo;s more, you&rsquo;re likely to have developed strong budgeting skills during your debt solution. That means your credit report will begin to show that you&rsquo;re managing your bank account responsibly. And even more importantly, all your essential payments are being made on time.
You can boost your credit score further by registering to vote and making sure that your bank accounts etc. are all registered at your current address. You can also try some or all of the tips below&hellip;
Rebuild by paying your bills on time
Prioritise paying all your bills in full and on time. This will show potential lenders that they can trust you with their money.
If you&rsquo;re renting your home, you may be able to boost your credit score simply by paying your rent promptly. This may be an option for both private tenants and social tenants. Schemes you can use to do this include <a href="https://www.experian.co.uk/business/consumer-information/consumer-credit-management/rental-exchange/tenant-information/">The Rental Exchange</a>&nbsp;and <a href="https://www.creditladder.co.uk/tenants">CreditLadder</a>. Sign up to one of these and make your full rent payments on time every week or month as usual. These rental payments will then be reflected in your credit score.
Some utilities providers also pass on information to the credit reference agencies. Ask your providers if they do this. If they do, the credit reference agencies will know whether and when you make your payments. This will help rebuild your credit score if you stay up to date.
But remember, this works both ways. Any missed or incomplete payments will have a negative impact on your credit score.
Rebuild by saving
<a href="https://www.loqbox.co.uk/how-it-works">LOQBOX</a> offer a kind of regular savings account. LOQBOX treat the payments you make into the account as repayments on a loan. They then report these payments to the credit reference agencies. According to LOQBOX, making your agreed payment in full and on time each month should start to boost your credit score after around four months.
Rebuild by borrowing - carefully
If you&rsquo;re confident in your ability to manage credit carefully without getting into difficulties again, you could consider taking out a credit card (but only once you have completed your debt solution). A&nbsp;<a href="https://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en/articles/credit-and-debit-cards-a-quick-guide#credit-builder-cards">credit builder credit card</a>, for example, could help rebuild your credit score as long as you:
<ul>
<li>keep the balance low (less than half of the credit limit)</li>
<li>pay the full balance each month, so you never have to pay the interest. Credit builder cards tend to come with a high interest rate</li>
<li>remember to pay on time. As with any credit card, you will damage your credit score if you don&rsquo;t manage to make at least the minimum payment by the due date</li>
</ul>
Don&rsquo;t forget that your credit report includes a record of all your applications for credit. So if you try to take out a credit card and you&rsquo;re turned down, this could suggest to lenders that you&rsquo;re struggling financially, which will make them less likely to want to lend to you. The same applies if you make a lot of credit applications very quickly. So, apply for credit sensibly. Do your research and try to only apply for cards and loans for&nbsp; which you stand a reasonable chance of being accepted.