Are you paying enough? New Minimum Wage

Business people group.

From the 1st October 2015 the new National Minimum Wages (NMW) will come into force

Year 21 and over 18 to 20 Under 18 Apprentice*
2015 (from 1 October) £6.70 £5.30 £3.87 £3.30
2014 (current rate) £6.50 £5.13 £3.79 £2.73

With a further increase in April 2016 for over 25’s to £7.20 per hour. The April 2016 wage will be called the Living Wage.

Penalties for non compliance are already harsh and as reported by the BBC on 1st September 2015 they are getting tougher…

These include doubling penalties for non-payment and disqualifying employers from being a company director for up to 15 years.

The government also announced plans to double the enforcement budget for non-payment and to set up a new team in HMRC to pursue criminal prosecutions for employers who deliberately do not pay workers the wage they are due.

Penalties for non-payment will be doubled, from 100% of arrears owed to 200%, although these will be halved if paid within 14 days. The maximum penalty will remain £20,000 per worker.

Are you paying enough?

steve@bicknells.net

 

 

Do you use Interns? watch out for NMW

hübsche brünette studentin

At the end of last year there was a clamp down on the Fashion Industry, the main target was companies that advertise for unpaid trainees (interns). Its likely this will lead to an even bigger campaign in 2014.

Current minimum wages rates are

    21 Plus     18 to 20   Under 18      Apprentice
£6.31 £5.03 £3.72 £2.68

If you take on unpaid trainees without a contract you could be at risk of a £5,000 fine. The penalty can also apply if you are paying below the minimum wage.

If you find that you are paying below NMW you need to correct the rate of pay now and back date it to avoid the risk of a penalty.

steve@bicknells.net