10 lame excuses for not paying the National Minimum Wage
Thought you could get away with not paying employees the National Minimum Wage? You thought wrong.
All employers must pay employees the National Minimum Wage which, as of 1 April 2017, per hour, is:
- £3.50 for apprentices
- £4.05 for 16 – 17-year-olds
- £5.60 for 18 – 20-year-olds
- £7.05 for 21 – 24-year-olds
- £7.50 for employees aged 25 or above (National Living Wage).
And if you don’t?
The penalty for not paying the National Minimum Wage is 200% of the amount owed – this is cut in half if the amount due is paid within 14 days of receiving the notice from HMRC though.
The maximum penalty an employer can receive for non-payment of the National Minimum Wage is £20,000 per employee.
Those who still refuse to pay run the risk of being taken to court by HMRC.
You may also consider the impact on your reputation and future ability to recruit employees, as your details will be published in a government press release under its ‘name and shame’ policy . If you’re known for paying below the minimum wage, you’ll likely struggle to recruit and retain employees.
So, let’s take a look at some of the bonkers reasons employers have given for not paying the National Minimum Wage.
National Minimum Wage excuses
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