New National Minimum Wage Rates in 2015

Employers are reminded that the following changes to the National Minimum Wage (NMW) rates came into effect on 1 October 2015:

• the adult NMW rate increased from £6.50 to £6.70 per hour;
• the NMW rate for workers aged 18 to 20 increased from £5.13 to £5.30 per hour;
• the NMW rate for 16- and 17-year-olds increased from £3.79 to £3.87 per hour; and
• the apprentice rate of the NMW, which applies to apprentices aged 16 to 18 and those aged 19 or over who are in the first year of their apprenticeship, increased from £2.73 to £3.30 per hour.

The accommodation offset increased from £5.08 to £5.35 per day.