Question
To ask His Majesty's Government how many employers have had criminal prosecutions brought against them for non-payment of the statutory minimum wage since its introduction.
Answered on
8 April 2025
His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) enforces the National Minimum Wage on behalf of the Department for Business and Trade.
Criminal prosecution is reserved for the most serious cases involving deliberate underpayment or reckless pay practices. This is usually for cases where there is a wider public interest, or where employers are persistently non-compliant, or refuse to cooperate with HMRC.
Between 2007/08 and 2022/23, 21 employers have been successfully prosecuted for underpaying the minimum wage with an additional case accepting a caution. For more information about these prosecutions, see Table 12 of the supplementary data for: National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage: government evidence on enforcement and compliance, 2023 - GOV.UK