No minimum trainee salary: what the real Living Wage means

Is there still a minimum salary for trainee solicitors?

No. The SRA stopped setting a minimum salary for trainee solicitors in 2014, and in 2026 the Law Society stopped recommending one. Its guidance now says that people doing qualifying work experience should be paid at least the real Living Wage – for 2026-27, £15.45 (check the official website) an hour in London and £14.10 (check the official website) elsewhere. (Law Society Gazette, 25 September 2026 (secondary source)) (Living Wage Foundation, real Living Wage)

If you are starting a training contract or a QWE role, that leaves two different numbers to know. The legal floor is the National Living Wage: £12.71 an hour for workers aged 21 and over from 1 April 2026 (GOV.UK, minimum wage rates), rising to £13.21 from April 2027 (Low Pay Commission, 28 October 2026). The real Living Wage is higher, and paying it is the employer’s choice. Neither the old recommendation nor the new one is a regulatory requirement; the Law Society describes its guidance as a proposal to support good practice. (Law Society Gazette, 25 September 2026 (secondary source))

What changed in 2026?

Until 2025, the Law Society published a recommended minimum salary each summer, with one rate for London and one for the rest of England and Wales. It applied to anyone on a training contract and to anyone employed mainly to gain QWE, and it was uprated with the 12-month rolling rate of Consumer Price Index inflation. (Law Society Gazette, 22 July 2025 (secondary source)) In August 2026 the guidance was updated and the figure dropped; the legal press reported the change in September. (Law Society Gazette, 25 September 2026 (secondary source)) (Legal Cheek, 24 September 2026 (secondary source))

Sources: (Law Society Gazette, 30 July 2024 (secondary source)) (2023/24 and 2024/25) (Law Society Gazette, 22 July 2025 (secondary source)) (2025/26) (Law Society Gazette, 25 September 2026 (secondary source)) (from August 2026). These are secondary reports; the Law Society’s own pages could not be read automatically when we checked.

The Law Society says it considered a range of options, spoke to members at all career stages, including junior lawyers, and will continue to review it in future years. Its guidance gives a reason: employers paying the real Living Wage as a minimum “could have a positive impact on equality and diversity” in the profession. (Law Society Gazette, 25 September 2026 (secondary source))

What is the real Living Wage?

The real Living Wage is a voluntary hourly rate set by the Living Wage Foundation. It is based on the cost of living, including housing, childcare, council tax and transport, rather than set by the government. (Living Wage Foundation, real Living Wage) The Resolution Foundation calculates the rates and the Living Wage Commission oversees them. (Living Wage Foundation, calculation 2026) The 2026-27 rates were announced on 15 October 2026, and employers signed up with the Foundation have until 1 May 2027 to apply them. (Living Wage Foundation, real Living Wage) The rates they replace were £13.45 an hour in the UK and £14.80 in London. (Law Society Gazette, 25 September 2026 (secondary source))

The National Living Wage is different: it is the legal minimum for workers aged 21 and over, set by the government. (Living Wage Foundation, real Living Wage) Lower legal minimums apply to younger workers and to some apprentices – from April 2026, £10.85 an hour for ages 18 to 20 and £8 for apprentices. (GOV.UK, minimum wage rates)

What does the real Living Wage come to per year?

That depends on your contracted hours. The table multiplies each hourly rate by the weekly hours and by 52 weeks. It is gross pay before tax and National Insurance, without overtime or bonuses.

Hourly rates: real Living Wage 2026-27, £15.45 (check the official website) in London and £14.10 (check the official website) elsewhere (Living Wage Foundation, real Living Wage); National Living Wage £12.71 from 1 April 2026 (GOV.UK, minimum wage rates).

Compare that with the last recommendation. For a 37.5-hour week, the 2025/26 figure of £28,090 in London works out at £14.41 an hour, and £24,916 outside London at £12.78. Both are below the new real Living Wage rates, so for that working week an employer that simply kept last year’s recommended salary would now pay less than the Law Society suggests.

Can QWE be unpaid?

The SRA allows QWE in paid or volunteer work, in up to four organisations. (SRA, qualifying work experience) Whether you must be paid is a question of employment law, not of the SRA’s rules. If you count as a worker, you are normally due the National Minimum Wage, and calling a role an internship, a placement or work experience does not change that; nor does a written agreement saying you are a volunteer. There are exceptions, for example for unpaid voluntary work for a charity or voluntary organisation and for placements of less than one year that are a required part of a UK further or higher education course. (GOV.UK, pay for interns) This is general information, not legal advice; if your situation is unclear, read the GOV.UK guidance in full.

How do you check a trainee or QWE offer?

1. Find the contracted hours. The annual salary alone tells you little; a 40-hour week at the same salary is a lower hourly rate than a 35-hour week.
2. Work out the hourly rate: salary ÷ (weekly hours × 52).
3. Compare it with two floors: the National Living Wage (the law, if you are a worker) and the real Living Wage for London or the rest of the UK (the Law Society’s guidance).
4. Ask how pay is reviewed. Both rates change every year, so a salary that is above them today may not be next year.
5. Value the support, too. An employer that pays your SQE fees or gives study leave changes what qualifying costs you. The solicitor qualification cost calculator shows the difference.

What this means for you

If an offer is below the real Living Wage, you can ask about it: the Law Society’s guidance gives you a neutral reference point, but no right to it. If it is below the National Living Wage and you count as a worker, that is a different matter, because the minimum wage is the law. For the wider picture – what trainees, newly qualified and experienced solicitors earn, in London and the regions – see our guide to trainee and NQ solicitor salaries. How QWE works and who can confirm it is in the QWE guide.

Common misunderstandings

• “The Law Society minimum was binding.” It was a recommendation; the binding SRA minimum ended in 2014. (Law Society Gazette, 22 July 2025 (secondary source))
• “The real Living Wage and the National Living Wage are the same.” The first is voluntary and based on living costs; the second is the legal minimum for workers aged 21 and over. (Living Wage Foundation, real Living Wage)
• “There is a new minimum salary of £… a year.” There is no annual figure any more; the yearly amount depends on your hours.
• “Volunteer QWE means no pay rules apply.” The SRA accepts volunteer work as QWE, but whether you are owed the minimum wage depends on your status, not on the label. (GOV.UK, pay for interns)

What does this page cover?

Last updated

30 October 2026

Based on

Living Wage Foundation and GOV.UK rates; the Law Society’s recommendations as reported by the Law Society Gazette and Legal Cheek

Includes

The end of the recommended minimum, the real Living Wage for 2026-27, annual equivalents by hours, the legal minimum wage, unpaid QWE

Not included

Tax and take-home pay, salaries at particular firms, rules outside England and Wales

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