The government has announced a package of measures to enforce the National Minimum Wage (NMW), and National Living Wage (NLW) from its introduction next year. While the overall maximum penalty for underpayment of the wage will stay the same at £20,000 per worker, new measures include doubling the penalties for non-payment of the statutory rates from 100 per cent to 200 per cent of the arrears (halved if employers pay within 14 days), and introducing a new team of HMRC compliance officers to investigate the most serious cases and bring criminal prosecutions against employers for deliberate non-compliance.
SEP