The National Living Wage (NLW) for workers aged 21 and over will rise by 3.9 per cent, or 50p, to £13.21 an hour from April 2027. The Government announced the rates on Wednesday 28 October, and the Low Pay Commission (LPC) said the Government has accepted its recommendations in full.
What was announced
The rate for 18 to 20 year olds rises 42p to £11.27. The rates for 16 and 17 year olds and for apprentices rise 31p to £8.31. The accommodation offset, the daily amount employers may deduct from wages for accommodation, rises 43p to £11.53 a day. Every rate goes up by the same 3.9 per cent. The LPC sent its recommendations to the Government on 23 October and says the Commission agreed them unanimously.
What the Low Pay Commission said
The LPC says the new rate will not reach its reference point of two thirds of median earnings, but makes progress towards it, and that it is above the range of inflation forecasts from April 2027 to March 2028, and judges that it will protect the rate in real terms. Its chair, Baroness Philippa Stroud, said: "Economic growth has been better than expected this year, but this growth is not leading to hiring." For younger workers it recommended "pausing on alignment" with the adult rate, raising the 18 to 20 rate by the same percentage rather than closing the gap.
The LPC's press release also notes that the National Living Wage is different from the Living Wage Foundation's UK and London Living Wage, which are voluntary benchmarks and not legal requirements, and on which the LPC has no role.
What is not in the record
The LPC gives no exact date in April. Its rates page says the increases "will be effective from April 2026", which conflicts with its own table and press release, both of which say April 2027. We read that as a typing error. The LPC's full annual report is due in the new year.
Why it matters to security firms
This is Ops Con's reading, not the LPC's.
Where guarding, door supervision, event security or stewarding staff are paid at or close to the legal minimum, the 50p rise lands on the hourly rate itself and on anything calculated from it, such as holiday pay and overtime premiums. Firms quoting or renewing contracts that run past April 2027 should price the new rate in now and check what their contracts say about pay-linked price reviews. Younger staff aged 18 to 20 move to £11.27, and clients who require Living Wage Foundation rates set their own separate benchmark, so check which one each contract actually names.
