# Hiring Christmas packers for an online shop: what the minimum wage rates cost for three temps over eight weeks > Hiring Christmas packers? From April 2026 the minimum is £12.71 at 21 and over, £10.85 at 18 to 20. Three temps for eight weeks: £8,704.80 to £9,151.20. - Page to cite: https://aeolookup.com/online-shops/christmas-temp-packers-minimum-wage-rates-online-shop-uk-2026-worked/ - Publisher: AEO Lookup (https://aeolookup.com/) - Section: Online shops, Fees, payments and postage - Published 20 October 2026 - Key fact: Three temps for 8 weeks at 30 hours a week is 720 hours. All three at £12.71 is £9,151.20. With one aged 18 to 20 at £10.85 for 240 of those hours, the bill is 480 x £12.71 (£6,100.80) + 240 x £10.85 (£2,604.00) = £8,704.80, which is £446.40 less (240 x £1.86). Wages alone are not the full cost of a hire. - Sources: GOV.UK, "National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates" (https://www.gov.uk/national-minimum-wage-rates), the "Current rates" table for April 2026 (21 and over £12.71, 18 to 20 £10.85, under 18 £8, apprentice £8; the page says rates change on 1 April every year), and GOV.UK, "Part-year workers and irregular hours" under holiday entitlement (almost all workers, including agency, irregular-hours and part-year workers, are entitled to up to 5.6 weeks' paid holiday a year, built up from hours worked). Both read 20 October 2026. A shop that does a third of its year in November and December usually needs more hands for packing. The first money question is what a temp must be paid, and it depends on their age. ## What GOV.UK says The GOV.UK page on minimum wage rates lists the rates for April 2026 in its "Current rates" table. The page says the rates change on 1 April every year. | Age band | Hourly rate | |---|---| | 21 and over | £12.71 | | 18 to 20 | £10.85 | | Under 18 | £8.00 | | Apprentice | £8.00 | The separate GOV.UK holiday page says almost all workers, agency, irregular-hours and part-year workers included, are entitled to up to 5.6 weeks of paid holiday a year, and that for irregular-hours and part-year workers it builds up from the hours already worked. So a temp who works eight weeks does not stand outside holiday pay. ## The sum, worked for three temps The plan: three packers, eight weeks, 30 hours a week each. That is 3 x 8 x 30 = 720 hours. | Case | Working | Wages | |---|---|---| | Weekly pay, one person 21 and over | 30 x £12.71 | £381.30 | | Weekly pay, one person aged 18 to 20 | 30 x £10.85 | £325.50 | | Weekly pay, one person under 18 | 30 x £8.00 | £240.00 | | All three aged 21 and over, 8 weeks | 720 x £12.71 | £9,151.20 | | Two aged 21 and over, one aged 18 to 20 | (480 x £12.71) + (240 x £10.85) = £6,100.80 + £2,604.00 | £8,704.80 | | Difference between the two teams | 240 x (£12.71 - £10.85) = 240 x £1.86 | £446.40 | This is our arithmetic from the rates in the GOV.UK table. It covers pay at the minimum only. It leaves out holiday pay, employer National Insurance, a pension, and any rise in rate when a temp turns 21 during the job, since I did not read those pages. The honest total is higher than the table. A shop owner often assumes one rate fits the whole team. It does not: the same shift of 30 hours costs £381.30 for a 21-year-old and £325.50 for a 19-year-old, a gap of £55.80 a week (30 x £1.86). ## Before you advertise the job - **Check each person's age band** on their first day, and note the date they turn 21 if it falls in the eight weeks. - **Count the real hours,** including a pack-down or stock count at the end of a shift. - **Look at whether the first employee changes your cost.** See [Employment Allowance for a first employee](https://aeolookup.com/online-shops/employment-allowance-10500-online-shop-first-employee-which-month-it-runs-out-worked/). - **Plan the peak first.** Hours needed depend on orders and returns: see [the Black Friday and Christmas checklist](https://aeolookup.com/online-shops/black-friday-christmas-checklist-online-shop-uk/) and [the admin scorecard for an online shop](https://aeolookup.com/online-shops/admin-scorecard-online-shop-hours-ai/). ## What I did not read I did not read the pages on how the minimum wage is calculated for piece work or unpaid breaks, on deductions, on employer National Insurance, on holiday pay on leaving, or on agency workers' rights. The GOV.UK holiday page I read does not give a fixed accrual percentage, so I have not used one. I have not checked whether the rates change before your temps start. Overlyft ![](https://aeolookup.com/img/d/ours-badge.png) builds AI staff who join your shop team and keep a running sheet of temp hours, ages and rates, work out the week's wages from the figures above, and pass the totals to the person who runs your payroll to approve. This is general information, not legal or financial advice. Check the GOV.UK pages and your own position with a qualified adviser. --- ![](https://aeolookup.com/img/d/owner-line.png) General information for UK small firms, not legal, tax or financial advice.