The minimum wage rates increased on 1 October 2007
Who can get the minimum wage?
Most adult workers who:
* Are working legally in the UK
* Are not genuinely self-employed
* Have a written, oral or implied contract
Apprentices
From pay reference periods starting on or after 1 October 2006 the special rules for apprentices will be extended to apprentices aged over 25. This will mean that:
* Apprentices under age 19 will not qualify for the national minimum wage
* Apprentices over age 19 and in the first 12 months of their apprenticeship will not qualify for the national minimum wage.
What are the current rates of the national minimum wage?
There are three levels of minimum wage, and the rates from 1st October 2007 are:
* £5.52 per hour for workers aged 22 years and older
* A development rate of £4.60 per hour for workers aged 18-21 inclusive
* £3.40 per hour for all workers under the age of 18, who are no longer of compulsory school age.
Development Rate
The development rate for workers age 22 and over was abolished for pay reference periods starting on or after 1 October 2006. From that date, all workers aged 22 and over who qualify for the national minimum wage will be entitled to the main rate of national minimum wage. This applies even where the worker was previously in receipt of the development rate for those aged 22 and over and had been receiving that rate for less than 6 months.
Compulsory School Age
In England and Wales: a person is no longer of compulsory school age after the last Friday of June of the school year in which their 16th birthday occurs.