The National Minimum Wage is the statutory hourly floor that cleaning employers must pay. From 1 April 2026 the National Living Wage for workers aged 21 and over is £12.71 per hour, with lower bands for younger workers and apprentices. It is enforced by law, and is the true price floor beneath any commercial cleaning quote.
What are the National Minimum Wage rates for 2026?
The statutory rates changed on 1 April 2026 (the 2026-27 tax year). The headline National Living Wage — for workers aged 21 and over — is £12.71 per hour, with separate lower bands for younger workers and apprentices, plus an accommodation offset where accommodation is provided.
How much did the wage floor rise?
The National Living Wage rose 6.7%, from £12.21 (April 2025) to £12.71 (April 2026). The rates change on 1 April every year, so any cleaning contract that runs across an April uplift needs to price the increase in. This is the main reason multi-year cleaning quotes build in an annual wage-linked adjustment.
Minimum wage vs the real Living Wage — what's the difference?
The National Minimum Wage / National Living Wage is the statutory legal minimum, enforced by HMRC. The real Living Wage (£13.45 UK / £14.80 London for 2026) is a higher, voluntary rate set by the Living Wage Foundation. Some buyers only require the statutory minimum; others specify the real Living Wage, which raises the wage bill.
Why the minimum wage is the floor beneath every cleaning quote
Cleaning is labour-intensive, so wages dominate the cost. A quote priced below what the statutory minimum wage plus employer on-costs (National Insurance, pension, holiday pay) actually costs is a warning sign — it can indicate cash-in-hand labour or corners being cut. OptusGlean employs operatives on PAYE and prices honestly against the statutory floor, so the number in your quote is one that can lawfully be delivered.