The Oxford Living Wage

Oxford Living Wage Overview

The Oxford Living Wage is an hourly minimum wage designed to provide liveable earnings in Oxford. It is aimed at businesses either based in Oxford or doing business in Oxford, recognising the city's high cost of living. From April 2025, the rate is set at £13.16.

This rate is set annually and is 95% of the London Living Wage, as determined by the Living Wage Foundation.

Oxford City Council champions fair pay through its employer recognition scheme. We encourage employers paying the Oxford Living Wage to gain accreditation for wider recognition.

How to become an accredited Oxford Living Wage Employer

To apply for accreditation, companies need to follow a self-reporting system. This involves a commitment to the Oxford Living Wage in a signed letter to the Council.

• directly-employed staff must be paid the Oxford Living Wage for eligibility. For contractors, there should be a plan to implement the Oxford Living Wage when feasible
• once accredited, employers are responsible for letting the Council know if they are no longer paying the Oxford Living Wage at the revised annual rates (please check the Oxford City Council website for the revised rates annually) 
• the Council will remove non-compliant employers from the accredited list
• while apprentices are not included in the accreditation, employers can opt to pay them the Oxford Living Wage
• the Council may revise these criteria or the accreditation process, providing adequate notice

If you meet these criteria and wish to become an Oxford Living Wage Employer, please complete our online form to register your company or institution's interest and one of our team will get back to you.

Apply for Oxford Living Wage accreditation or reconfirm new rate

Benefits of the Oxford Living Wage

Earning a wage that supports household and family needs is crucial for worker motivation and retention. The Oxford Living Wage aims to ensure workers in Oxford earn enough to meet the city's living costs, particularly given its status as one of the UK's most expensive cities.

By offering the Oxford Living Wage, accredited employers show they value their staff. This initiative also addresses the challenge many workers face: choosing between higher living costs in Oxford or increased travel expenses from living outside the city.

The Oxford Living Wage has grown out of the Living Wage Foundation’s campaign which began 25 years ago, to secure a living wage not just a minimum wage. The Foundation’s campaign has found Living Wage employers have seen significant improvement in their reputation, staff retention, staff motivation and manager-staff relationships.

• 80% of employers report improved staff quality of work with the Living Wage
• enhanced loyalty and customer service, leading to fewer complaints
• a 25% reduction in absenteeism
• improved staff retention and reduced HR costs
• 70% of employers note increased consumer recognition of their ethical employment practices

Frequently asked questions 

How much does the Oxford Living Wage accreditation cost?

The Oxford Living Wage accreditation is free.

As part of your accreditation, we will send you a pack for employers, which includes a digital copy of your certificate, the Oxford Living Wage logo and other materials, including social media assets to help you promote your accredited status.

What is the Oxford Living Wage as an annual salary?

You can work out the Oxford Living Wage as an annual salary by calculating:

• Oxford Living Wage x hours worked per week x 52

For example: £13.16 x 37.5 x 52 = £25,662

Our organisation operates in Oxford, but also regionally, nationally or internationally. Do we have to pay all staff the Oxford Living Wage?

Only staff working in roles related to your business in Oxford are required to be paid the Oxford Living Wage. For example, for a care company operating in both Oxford and Buckingham, only the employees working in Oxford are required to be paid the Oxford Living Wage as part of the Oxford Living Wage scheme.

We are in support of the work of the Living Wage Foundation. Please visit their website to find out more about joining the movement to contribute to national impact.

Our organisation operates or is based in Oxfordshire, but is not located nor does business in Oxford city, can we become Oxford Living Wage employers?

Thank you for your interest, but the Oxford Living Wage is for organisations either located in the city of Oxford or that serve the city in some way (such as law firms or catering companies). If you’re unsure, please view the Oxford City Council boundary map.

We are in support of the work of the Living Wage Foundation. Please visit their website to find out more about joining the movement to contribute to national impact.

Does the Oxford Living Wage apply to apprentices and interns?

There are different rates of statutory pay for apprenticeships, depending on an apprentice’s age and experience to reflect the cost of training. Therefore, employers are not required to pay apprentices the Oxford Living Wage, although it is encouraged where possible and particularly once an apprentice has completed their first year.

For interns, it depends on the intern’s employment status. If an intern is classed as a worker, then they should be paid the Oxford Living Wage alongside other employees. However, for interns on placements or work experience/shadowing, such as part of a higher education course or in a voluntary capacity, they are not entitled to the National Minimum Wage and therefore not the Oxford Living Wage. However, as with apprentices, we do encourage that interns are paid the Oxford Living Wage. You can find out more about pay and employment rights for interns on the government’s website.

What about third-party contractors?

The Oxford Living Wage applies to all directly employed staff, and there should be a plan/timeline to include all regularly contracted staff too. Regularly contracted staff, defined by the Living Wage Foundation, are staff who work for two or more hours a week, for eight or more consecutive weeks a year, such as cleaners or security staff.

We employ staff under the age of 18, does the Oxford Living Wage apply to them?

The Oxford Living Wage applies to anyone over the age of 18. However, we encourage employers to pay all staff the Oxford Living Wage, regardless of their age.

Can additional earnings, benefits or other forms of compensation be included as part of the Oxford Living Wage rate?

No, the Oxford Living Wage only consists of an employee’s base salary.

Any other forms of compensation, such as performance-related pay (bonuses, tips, sales, etc.), employer pension contributions, expenses, company shares or accommodation provision are a benefit in addition to the Oxford Living Wage base salary.

Does the Oxford Living Wage cover travel time for carers or other roles?

We expect all workers, such as care workers, to be paid the Oxford Living Wage for time spent travelling between client appointments. This follows government guidance, which states that employees should be paid for time spent ‘travelling in connection with work, including travelling from one work assignment to another’.

This applies to all roles which require travel as part of the working day, for example, outside of routine travel at the start and end of the working day between home and work.

Employees should also be paid the Oxford Living Wage for each hour worked on a sleep shift where they are required to stay onsite.