Over £7.4 million put back in working people’s pockets by employers
Source: gov.uk (2025-05-29)

Employers who have left workers over £7.4 million out of pocket by failing to pay the National Living and National Minimum Wage named.

- More money put into the pockets of hardworking people, as government delivers the biggest upgrade to worker’s rights in a generation, as part of the Plan for Change
- Workers will be paid over £7.4 million by employers after nearly 60,000 workers have been left out of pocket.
- Action builds on recent uplift to the National Living and National Minimum Wage which puts £1,400 into the pockets of workers and families across the UK
Nearly 60,000 workers who have been left out of pocket will be repaid over £7.4 million the Government has announced today [Thursday 29th May] in its latest move to Make Work Pay.

This follows a significant uplift to the National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage - putting £1,400 into the pockets of full-time workers on NLW and supporting millions of families across the country - as well as the biggest upgrade to workers’ rights in a generation under the Employment Rights Bill.

As part of the Plan for Change, this Government’s priority is to grow the economy and raise living standards. A strong economy can only be built when people have financial security whilst in work and robust enforcement action will be taken against employers who do not pay their staff correctly.

The 518 employers and businesses named today have since paid back what they owe to their staff and faced financial penalties of up to 200% of their underpayment. The investigations by His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) concluded between 2015-2022.

Minister for Employment Rights, Justin Madders said:

There is no excuse for employers to undercut their workers, and we will continue to name companies who break the law and don’t pay their employees what they are owed.

Ensuring workers have the support they need and making sure they receive a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work is a key commitment in our Plan for Change. This will put more money in working people’s pockets, helping to boost productivity and ending low pay.

Baroness Philippa Stroud, Chair of the Low Pay Commission, said:

We welcome today’s publication. Underpayment leaves workers out of pocket and disadvantages the majority of employers who do abide by the rules.

These naming rounds play an important part in ensuring that all workers receive their full wages and that they are aware there is support for them to ensure that they do.

Putting more money into the pockets of the lowest paid increases workers’ financial security, offers stability to help increase staff retention and lowers recruitment costs for businesses in the long run. Whilst not all minimum wage underpayments are intentional, the Government is clear that enforcement action will be taken against employers who do not pay their staff correctly.

Ahead of permanently lowering tax rates for high street retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) from 2026/27, we have prevented the current RHL relief from ending this April, extending it for one year to ensure that over 250,000 RHL properties see a full 40 per cent reduction on their liability, and we have frozen the small business multiplier.

Educational bulletin

We are committed to educating employers and have released an educational bulletin today to increase awareness of National Minimum Wage legislation and inform companies on how to make sure they’re paying workers correctly.

Educational Bulletin for Round 21 of the National Minimum Wage Naming Scheme (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/683871905150d70c85aafaf1/educational-bulletin-round-21-national-minimum-wage-naming-scheme.pdf) (PDF, 310 KB, 11 pages)

Round 21 employers

The list of employers being named for failing to pay the National Minimum Wage with fuller detail is provided in the spreadsheet:

Table with employers named in Round 21 of the National Minimum Wage Naming Scheme (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/68384e1ce0f10eed80aafad6/table-employers-named-round-21-national-minimum-wage-naming-scheme.xlsx) (MS Excel Spreadsheet, 101 KB)

Notes to editors:
- If workers suspect they are being underpaid, they can visit gov.uk/checkyourpay to find out more about what they can do.
- Workers can also call the Acas helpline on xx-xxxx-xxxx or visit their website for free, impartial and confidential advice or complain to HMRC at Pay and work rights helpline and complaints (https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fpay-and-work-rights&data=05%7C02%7CBen.Skudder%40businessandtrade.gov.uk%7C8e2ef40fff884afbd91208dd9e881218%7C8fa217ec33aa46fbad96dfe68006bb86%7C0%7C0%7C638841030079006903%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=aoRbkUMmZJzGgC9QuJsd1veN9qVEzvauYrz4pu3YA2U%3D&reserved=0)
- The minimum wage law applies to all parts of the UK.
- Employers should always carry out the necessary checks – see the guidance: Calculating the Minimum Wage (https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fguidance%2Fcalculating-the-minimum-wage&data=05%7C02%7CBen.Skudder%40businessandtrade.gov.uk%7C8e2ef40fff884afbd91208dd9e881218%7C8fa217ec33aa46fbad96dfe68006bb86%7C0%7C0%7C638841030079035559%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=oRx%2FBjWEu7HZPGLmTH1liShsJZ5n4AKxFsYyjN3l2SI%3D&reserved=0)
- HMRC consider all complaints from workers, so workers are being reminded to check their pay with advice available through the Check your pay website (https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcheckyourpay.campaign.gov.uk%2F&data=05%7C02%7CBen.Skudder%40businessandtrade.gov.uk%7C8e2ef40fff884afbd91208dd9e881218%7C8fa217ec33aa46fbad96dfe68006bb86%7C0%7C0%7C638841030079052418%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=u716hfmHap5wJtmJ2o4%2BGJ340TcbRi1SuCER56s8EPk%3D&reserved=0)
- National Living Wage and National Minimum wage rates: