Real Living Wage Scotland: £14.10 an hour against the legal minimum
They sound almost identical. One is the legal floor an employer must pay. The other is a voluntary rate calculated from what ordinary life actually costs.
By Graeme · Published 1 August 2026 · 5 min read
Last updated · Figures checked
Quick answer · Scotland
£14.10an hour
The voluntary rate for employers signed up with the Living Wage Foundation, set on 15 October 2026. They have until 1 May 2027 to start paying it. The legal minimum is lower.
- Outside London
- £14.10
- London
- £15.45
- Legal minimum, 21 and over
- £12.71
- Gap a year at 37.5 hours
- £2,710.50
Rates announced 15 October 2026Source Living Wage Foundation
On this page
The in Scotland is £14.10 an hour, the rate announced on 15 October 2026. It is voluntary: the legal minimum for workers aged 21 and over is £12.71, which the UK Government calls the National Living Wage. The names make a simple difference needlessly confusing.
The short answer
- The legal minimum is £12.71 an hour for workers aged 21 and over from April 2026. It rises to £13.21 on 1 April 2027.
- The is £14.10 an hour outside London and £15.45 in London. The new rates were announced on 15 October 2026, and accredited employers have until 1 May 2027 to pay them.
- Every employer must pay the legal minimum. Paying the is voluntary.
Real Living Wage Scotland 2026 rates
There is no separate Scottish living wage. Scotland uses the same as the rest of the UK outside London.
Hourly rates and what they add up to
Real Living Wage and the legal minimum
| Rate | An hour | A year at 37.5 hours | Must employers pay it? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Real Living Wage, Scotland and UK outside London | £14.10 | £27,495.00 | No, it is voluntary |
| Real Living Wage, London | £15.45 | £30,127.50 | No, it is voluntary |
| Legal minimum, 21 and over, from April 2026 | £12.71 | £24,784.50 | Yes, by law |
| Legal minimum, 21 and over, from April 2027 | £13.21 | £25,759.50 | Yes, by law |
Living wage vs minimum wage Scotland
Side by side, the two rates differ in almost every way except the name.
How the two rates compare
| Legal minimum (National Living Wage) | Real Living Wage | |
|---|---|---|
| Rate now | £12.71 an hour | £14.10 an hour |
| Who sets it | UK Government, advised by the Low Pay Commission | Living Wage Foundation |
| How it is worked out | Two thirds of typical hourly earnings | The cost of a decent basic life |
| Who it covers | Workers aged 21 and over, with lower rates for younger workers | Workers aged 18 and over |
| Must it be paid? | Yes, by every employer | Only if the employer has signed up or agreed to it |
| Next change | £13.21 from 1 April 2027 | Employers have until 1 May 2027 to pay £14.10 |
National Living Wage Scotland: the legal minimum
Minimum wage law covers Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The UK Government sets the rates after advice from the Low Pay Commission. The adult rate is linked to a share of typical hourly earnings, not to a shopping basket showing what a household needs.
An employer cannot choose to pay less because the business is small or because the worker agrees. Age and apprenticeship rules can produce a lower legal rate, which is why two adults doing similar work may lawfully receive different hourly pay. Every age rate is on the minimum wage Scotland page.
How the real Living Wage is worked out
The Living Wage Foundation commissions a separate calculation based on the . Researchers price the goods and services the public agrees are needed for a decent basic life, then turn that into an hourly rate.
The word “real” does not make it law
It distinguishes the cost based Living Wage from the government's legal rate with a similar name. An accredited employer promises to pay it, but the legal minimum wage remains the floor that every employer must meet.
What the gap is worth
£1.39 an hour
the difference between £14.10 and £12.71
At 37.5 paid hours a week for 52 weeks, that is £2,710.50 before tax over a year.
After Scottish income tax and , a full time worker keeps about £1,952 of that a year, or £163 a month. Take home pay is £1,946 a month on the against £1,784 on the legal minimum.
The gap narrows on 1 April 2027, when the legal minimum rises to £13.21. It is then 89p an hour, or £1,735.50 a year before tax on the same hours.
That does not solve every household budget. Rent, children, disability, travel and benefit rules change what a household needs and keeps. It does show why a small looking hourly gap matters across a full year.
Living wage Glasgow, Edinburgh and the rest of Scotland
The is the same £14.10 in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Dundee and everywhere else in Scotland. Only London has a higher rate.
How many jobs pay less? figures for April 2026 show the lowest paid tenth of jobs in Scotland paid £13.24 an hour or less, and the lowest paid fifth paid £14.25 or less. So somewhere between one job in ten and one in five paid less than the new £14.10. The four big cities look much the same:
Jobs based in each city, April 2026
Low pay in Scotland’s cities
| City | Lowest tenth paid up to | Lowest fifth paid up to |
|---|---|---|
| Glasgow | £13.32 | £14.37 |
| Edinburgh | £13.69 | £15.18 |
| Aberdeen | £13.90 | £15.53 |
| Dundee | £13.40 | £14.35 |
Is the real Living Wage compulsory in Scotland?
No. Most employers in Scotland only have to pay the legal minimum. The exception is money from the public purse: under the Scottish Government's Fair Work First policy, most public sector grants awarded since 1 July 2023 come with a condition that the employer pays at least the .
An employer can also promise the in a contract or pay policy, or sign up with the Living Wage Foundation as an accredited employer. Once it has done that, the promise matters, but the law itself still only enforces the legal minimum.
How to check your employer
First check the legal rate for your age and apprenticeship year. Then divide pay before tax by the paid hours in the pay period. Do not count unpaid breaks as paid work, but do include time the law treats as working time.
If the employer advertises itself as a Living Wage employer, check the Living Wage Foundation's employer directory. If it is only paying the legal minimum, that may be lawful even though it falls short of the voluntary rate.
See what the legal minimum becomes after Scottish tax and National Insurance before comparing it with rent and bills, or work out your own pay with the take home pay calculator.
Low pay is a decision, not a mystery
Westminster sets the legal minimum. Employers decide whether to stop there. I can find your MP automatically and prepare the right email without asking you to understand the political split.
Email my MP
