The real Living Wage remains the only UK Wage rate calculated on the real cost of living. It is voluntarily paid by over 16,000 UK businesses who have chosen to transform millions of people’s lives and raise the bar for what decent work looks like in the UK.  

Nearly half a million employees have received a pay rise as a result of the Living Wage campaign, and we enjoy cross-party support. We have a broad range of employers accredited with the Foundation including half of the FTSE 100 and big household names including Nationwide, Ikea, Everton FC and Aviva, as well as thousands of SMEs. 

The Living Wage rates for 2025-26 will be announced on the 22nd October. Employers will then have 6 months to implement them by May 1st 2026. 

Minimum Income Standard

We use a public consultation method called MIS to inform the rate. MIS asks groups to identify what people need to be able to afford as a minimum. This is fed into a calculation of what someone needs to earn as a full-time salary, which is then converted to an hourly rate. You can read about the 2025 Minimum Income Standard here.

London Minimum Income Standard

Living costs are much higher in London than in the rest of the UK - that is why the London Living Wage is higher than the UK rate. Our calculation is based on living costs and when it is annually recalculated we take into account any fluctuation in those costs. Rent is the primary living cost that causes the differential between the two rates but we also take into account childcare, travel costs, food and household bills. Read the latest London Minimum Income Standard here.

Past Living Wage rates