Summary
Description
There’s a minimum amount you must pay most of your employees. This is the National Minimum Wage.
You can use Sage Payroll to check you aren’t paying below this amount.
This article explains what the National Minimum Wage is and how Sage Payroll can check it for you.
Resolution
What is the National Minimum Wage?
The National Minimum Wage is the lowest amount you must pay most of your employees.
It's an hourly amount and depends on their age.
NOTE: The National Minimum Wage is only mandatory for your employees 20 and over.
The current rates (from 1 January 2025) for the National Minimum Wage are as follows:
Employee age | Hourly rate |
20 and over | €13.50 |
19 | €12.09 |
18 | €10.92 |
Under 18 years | €9.69 |
Get more understanding how the National Minimum Wage affects your business. Read the article on the Gov.ie website. National Minimum Wage Increase on 1 January 2025.
National Minimum Wage check
Sage Payroll now performs a National Minimum Wage check in your pay run. The check shows if your eligible hourly payments meet the government legislation for the National Minimum Wage.
In the pay run, payroll checks employee hourly payments. It will warn you if they don't meet the National Minimum Wage.
NOTE: The check only applies to hourly payments, not deductions.
You can correct and change them if necessary.
If you need help with your pay run, read our article Processing your payroll.
Employee Minimum Wage Rates
If you want to know which Minimum Wage band your employees are in, and what their rate per hour must be.
The Employee Minimum Wage Rates report gives you that information.
Run the report from the Reporting drop-down menu. Select Employee Minimum Wage Rates.
NOTE: If there’s no value in the rate per hour column, you’ve entered an incorrect date of birth. For example, the employee start date, which means the employee is too young to qualify.