Do employers have to pay the Living Wage rates by law?

No. The real Living Wage is a voluntary higher rate of base pay. It provides a benchmark for responsible employers who choose to pay their employees a rate that meets the basic cost of living in the UK and London. It is higher than the government's National Minimum Wage rates, including the minimum wage rate for over-21s (called the 'National Living Wage') because it is independently calculated according to the cost of living. 

However, employers do have to pay the Government's National Minimum Wage by law. More information can be found on the UK.Gov website.


Find out how the real Living Wage rates are calculated.