Ten outrageous excuses for not paying the minimum wage

The ten worst excuses for flouting NMW laws that have been given by employers to HMRC enforcement officers are:

1. “She does not deserve the NMW because she only makes the teas and sweeps the floors.”
2. “The employee was not a good worker, so I did not think they deserved to be paid the NMW.”
3. “My accountant and I speak a different language - he does not understand me, and that is why he does not pay my workers the correct wages.”
4. “My employee is still learning so they are not entitled to the NMW.”
5. “It is part of UK culture not to pay young workers for the first three months as they have to prove their worth first.”
6. “The NMW does not apply to my business.”
7. “I have got an agreement with my workers that I will not pay them the NMW; they understand, and they even signed a contract to this effect.”
8. “I thought it was okay to pay young workers below the NMW as they are not British and therefore do not have the right to be paid it.”
9. “My workers like to think of themselves as being self-employed and the NMW does not apply to people who work for themselves.”
10. “My workers are often just on standby when there are no customers in the shop; I only pay them for when they are actually serving someone.”

HMRC has emphasised that workers cannot be asked or told to sign away their NMW rights, and it has referred employers to its guidance for further information on calculating the NMW.