The national minimum wage sets minimum hourly rates that employers must pay their workers. It covers almost all workers in the UK and is divided into three rates that apply to workers of different ages.
The rates that apply from 1 October 2009 are as follows:
- for workers aged 22 years or more: £5.80 per hour
- for workers aged 18 to 21 inclusive: £4.83 per hour
- for workers aged under 18 (but above compulsory school age): £3.57 per hour
The rates that apply from October 2010 are as follows:
- for workers aged 21 and over: £5.93 per hour
- for workers aged 18 to 20 inclusive: £4.92 per hour
- for workers aged 16 to 17 inclusive: £3.64 per hour
You must keep records that show you pay at least the national minimum wage to anyone who works for you and is entitled to it. HM Revenue & Customs compliance officers are entitled to ask you to produce your records for inspection. In certain circumstances, you must also produce your records if one of your workers asks to see them because they believe they’re not being paid the national minimum wage. You are required to keep records relating to the national minimum wage for at least three years. But it's a good idea to keep them for six years in order to show that you have paid at least national minimum wage rates if a civil claim is brought against you.
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