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Whitehead Monckton Review HMRC’s “worst excuses for not paying the minimum wage”

Industry: Legal Services

Leading law firm in Kent, Whitehead Monckton, review the HMRC’s excuses received for not paying the National Minimum Wage

Kent, UK (PRUnderground) April 16th, 2014

HM Revenue & Customs, is not an organisation particularly well known for having a sense of humour/ HMRC recently (3 April 2014) published a list of ten of the more elaborate reasons given by employers over the past 12 months for not paying the National Minimum Wage (NMW). Whilst the subject of National Minimum Wage is a serious one, leading Whitehead Monckton Solicitors in Canterbury, Maidstone and Tenterden enjoyed reviewing some of the excuses finding them rather funny.

Whilst many of people generally have difficulty remembering names, from time to time, in one of the examples cited by HMRC, for one employer the problem appeared to be acute. “An employer said a woman on the premises was not entitled to NMW as she was his wife. When asked what his wife’s name was the employer said “err.. her name, err what’s your name love?..”

On another occasion, an employer told HMRC: “When the NMW goes up I do increase the amount I pay a little, even if the total pay is still below the NMW. I don’t think it’s right to ignore the rises in NMW.”

(another good one is the occasion where “An employee ran out of the premises when HMRC officers arrived to check for NMW infringements. The same employee then returned – minus the work pinafore – pretending to be a customer”),

The NMW was introduced 15 years ago, and sets out minimum hourly rates that employers must pay their workers. If HMRC finds that an employer has underpaid its employees, it will issue a notice of underpayment which shows the arrears that are owed to the workers and the penalty to be paid to HMRC.

Whitehead Monckton explains that ‘The rates are divided into three bands, based on the employees’ ages, and increase in October each year.’

‘In October 2013, the NMW for workers aged 21 years or more was £6.31 an hour, up from £6.19 the year before.’

‘For workers aged 18 to 20 inclusive, the current rate is £5.03 per hour (previously £4.98) and for workers aged between 16 and 18 it is £3.72 per hour (up from £3.68).’

As amusing as some of HMRC’s examples may be, Whitehead Monckton remind employers the importance of insuring that they are paying at least the appropriate NMW rates and joked ‘employers should at least ensure that their excuses when challenged are not made public next year.’

Whitehead Monckton are a leading law firm in Kent providing legal employment advice to both employers and employees.

Whitehead Monckton also provide expert advice and representation for areas including family, wills and probate and provide top conveyancing solicitors in Maidstone Kent.

For more information or advice visit the Whitehead Monckton website.

About Whitehead Monckton

Whitehead Monckton Canterbury Solicitors have a wealth of experience in a range of legal sectors including family law, employment law and wills and probate.

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