2025-26 Real Living Wage Announced by The Living Wage Foundation
TLDR
- The new real Living Wage is £13.45 per hour across the UK and £14.80 per hour in London.
- The real Living Wage is increased by 85p or 6.7% in the UK and by 95p or 6.9% in London.
- The new real Living Wage adds over £4,700 to workers’ annual salaries in London compared to the legal minimum.
- With the new rates, employees can earn £2,418 more per year in the UK and £5,050 more in London than the legal minimum
- 16,000 Living Wage Employers will increase their staff’s salaries based on the new living wage rate.
- MN Support Services Ltd will increase its staff salary to match the new London Living Wage.
The Living Wage Foundation is the only institution that independently calculates the real living costs in the UK and London. Their campaigns provide a guideline for employers to pay their staff fairly and ensure they can afford the rising costs of living in the UK and London. Today, the Living Wage Foundation announced the new 2025-26 rates, which are £13.45 per hour across the UK and £14.80 per hour in London. This is a 6.7% and 6.9% increase, respectively, since October 2025.
Over 475,000 people are working for 16,000 real Living Wage employers all over the UK. Employers and service providers who are recognised by the Living Wage Foundation will increase their staff’s wages to match the new rates announced today by the LWF.
The new rates rise to £13.45 per hour across the UK, which is an 85p increase. In London, however, the new rates rise to £14.80 per hour, which is a 95p increase. The 6.7% and 6.9% increases, respectively, reflect the persistently high costs for low-paid workers.
The new rates help employees to earn £2,418 more per year in the UK and £5,050 more in London than the legal minimum National Wage set by the Government.
About The Living Wage Foundation
The Living Wage Foundation is the only independent institute that calculates the real cost of living for anyone over 18 years old based on various factors and criteria. The Living Wage Foundation began its independent movement in 2011 and aimed to provide real Living Wage rates for businesses and employers who believe hard work should be met with fair pay.
The current real Living Wage calculated by The Living Wage Foundation is £13.45/hour across the UK and £14.80/hour in London.
What Does it Mean for The Cleaning Industry?
Many commercial cleaning companies across the UK and London are voluntarily paying their staff the new Living Wage rates to provide a fair day’s pay for hard work and ensure their staff aren’t experiencing financial hardship as a result of inflation and rising living costs.
Being a Living Wage employer or service provider is an essential accreditation for choosing the right commercial cleaning company. Make sure to consider relevant accreditation when vetting commercial cleaners for office cleaning, school cleaning, retail cleaning or other types of commercial cleaning services.
About MN Support Services
MN Support Services is the leading commercial and office cleaning company in London. We have been providing a wide range of commercial cleaning services all over London since 2002. Since 2016, we have been a recognised service provider of the Living Wage Foundation and have always been paying all our staff the London Living Wage.
