In this week’s Enews, we look at sanctions applied to those businesses found to have been underpaying the minimum wage. We also have information on a new website to help with tax education and news on the gender pay gap for the self-employed to update you on.
News - 27 March 2026
Hundreds of employers handed penalties for illegally underpaying workers
Almost 400 employers from across the UK have been named for failing to pay the minimum wage to tens of thousands of workers, says the government.
Around 60,000 workers were found to have been underpaid, collectively missing out on £7.3 million in pay.
The findings come alongside enforcement action against businesses failing to pay their staff the legal National Minimum Wage.
In addition to repaying the underpaid £7.3 million penalties totalling £12.6 million have now been issued to businesses that failed to pay staff correctly.
The Department for Trade and Industry says this makes it clear that ‘workers won’t be made to pay for the mistakes or negligence of those they work for, regardless of how big or well-known they are’.
The announcement also comes ahead of further increases to the minimum wage, which will see the lowest earners over 21 years old receive an annual pay boost of £900 for those working full time.
Business Secretary Peter Kyle said:
‘The vast majority of businesses in this country do the right thing by paying their staff properly and playing by the rules. It’s not fair on them when others are able to get ahead by not paying the wages their workers are owed.
‘A good employer doesn’t build their business on the back of unpaid wages, and I look forward to working with the new Fair Work Agency to ensure its powers are used to crack down on those who think the rules don’t apply to them.’
Internet link: GOV.UK
HMRC website seeks to close tax knowledge gaps
The tax authority says the site is designed around real-life situations, helping people to find information that is relevant to their circumstances. These include ‘tax in retirement’, ‘small businesses’ and ‘working life’.
The website also features ‘tax basics’, to help people understand the essentials and includes information about the free HMRC app and how to get further support.
HMRC says that with simple explanations, videos, and examples, Tax Confident makes it easier for people to understand tax. It also has links to GOV.UK guidance for when people are ready for more detail.
As well as the basics, current resources are aimed at pensioners, and people establishing new small businesses, who sometimes feel unsure about tax and are more likely to look for help.
Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC Chief Customer Officer and Customer Services Director General, said:
‘We know that tax can feel confusing at times, especially when you are not sure where to start. HMRC’s Tax Confident website is here to help people get to grips with the basics, covering everything from the tax essentials for new businesses to the need to knows for retirement.
‘Tax Confident is designed to help you feel informed, capable and in control when it comes to managing your tax.’
Internet link: HMRC press release
Self-employed gender pay gap is £51 per day
Self-employed women in the UK earn £51 less per day than men on average, according to IPSE, the self-employed association.
This means that the average self-employed woman working full time could be £12,266 worse off per year compared to a self-employed man.
IPSE said that this is an improvement on findings from 2020, which found self-employed women earned £65 per day less than men.
There are an estimated 1.64 million women working as sole traders and freelancers in the UK, up 34% since 2015.
Vicks Rodwell, IPSE’s Managing Director, said:
‘Some progress has clearly been made on the pay gap in self-employment, but it’s still coming at a huge cost for self-employed women.
‘Our research shows that self-employed women are far more likely than men to say that they struggle to save money due to not earning enough. When they’re more than £12,000 per year worse off on average, it’s easy to see why.
‘Women know it’s not as simple as ‘just charging more’; where a man is seen as confident for negotiating their rates up, a woman can be seen as difficult or pushy. It’s important that we continue to challenge these biases and remove the barriers self-employed women face when advocating for themselves in business.’
Internet link: IPSE website
