The government has published the first minimum wage naming round since the Fair Work Agency was set up in April 2026.
Around 660 employers were named on 3 September 2026 for failing to pay staff the National Minimum Wage. About £4 million has been returned to more than 27,000 workers, and penalties totalling £7 million were issued. The government said it will publish naming lists more regularly.
The list includes businesses that supply staff, and the underpayments range from six figures to under £200. Ministers urged every employer to check their payroll now.
For recruitment agencies the message is that enforcement is live now, not in 2027. The usual causes of underpayment in agency work are not the hourly rate but the extras. Unpaid travel between assignments, waiting time, compulsory briefings, deductions that take pay below the minimum, and workers moving up an age band. The rates from 1 April 2026 are £12.71 (21 and over), £10.85 (18 to 20) and £8.00 (under 18 and apprentices).
BIOR has updated its Employment Rights Act timeline guide for the enforcement picture and the government's latest roadmap. Read it at ior.org/employment-rights-act-timeline.
Source: GOV.UK, 3 September 2026, press release on the minimum wage naming round.