The UK government published a naming round on 3 September 2026 listing around 660 employers that failed to pay the National Minimum Wage, according to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade. About £4 million had been returned to more than 27,000 workers who were denied the pay they were legally owed, and penalties totalling £7 million were issued to the employers involved.

The department said that since the process began in 2011, more than £100 million in penalties had been issued to over 5,200 employers, with over £66 million repaid to 650,000 workers. It was the first naming round since the Fair Work Agency was established in April 2026 under the Employment Rights Act, bringing workers' rights enforcement under one roof.

Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said short-changing staff is not a shortcut to success, while Minister for the Future of Work Kate Dearden said underpaying staff is illegal. Matthew Taylor, chair of the Fair Work Agency Advisory Board, said paying the minimum wage is not optional. The department listed April 2026 minimum wage rates of £12.71 for those aged 21 and over, £10.85 for 18 to 20, £8 for under-18s and £8 for apprentices.