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Update National Minimum Wage

This guide explains when the new rates should apply and how to schedule a pay rate update using Pay Conditions.

Updated today

What's covered in this guide:

When National Minimum Wage (NMW) rates change, you’ll need to update employee pay rates in Workforce.com to remain compliant.

When should the new minimum wage apply?

Minimum wage compliance is assessed over a pay reference period (PRP), the period your pay covers (for example, weekly or monthly).

Because of this:

Updated minimum wage rates should be applied from the start of the first pay reference period beginning on or after 1 April.

What this means

The correct effective date depends on your pay cycle, not automatically 1 April.

Examples

  • Monthly pay period (1 April – 30 April)
    New rate applies from 1 April

  • Monthly pay period (16 March – 15 April)
    Old rate applies until 15 April
    New rate applies from 16 April

Weekly pay cycle
New rate applies from the first full week starting after 1 April

💡 Note: This guide provides general guidance based on standard UK minimum wage rules. If you’re unsure how this applies to your business, we recommend checking with HMRC or your accountant.

How to update pay rates

You can update an employee’s pay by scheduling a new Pay Conditions contract.

  1. Go to Workforce > Staff

  2. Select the relevant employee

  3. Open the Pay Conditions tab

  4. Click Add new conditions

  5. When prompted, select Yes to apply the change from an alternate date

  6. Enter the correct effective date
    ​(based on the employee’s pay cycle, see examples above)

  7. Update the pay rate and any other relevant conditions

  8. (Optional) Choose Yes to notify the employee and send updated contract details

  9. Review and confirm the changes

Learn more on how to update employee pay conditions.

What happens next?

  • The update will appear under Upcoming Pay Conditions on the employee profile

  • The new pay rate will automatically apply from the selected effective date.

FAQs

Can I bulk schedule a pay rate change from a future date?

Workforce.com does not currently support bulk scheduling pay rate changes from a future or past date.

You can either:

  • Import pay rate changes in bulk by CSV, which applies the new rates immediately, or

  • Schedule a future-dated pay rate change individually for each employee using Make a Change in Pay Conditions.

Update Employee Pay Conditions

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