Bentleys Chartered Accountants are warning business owners that the government is taking tougher action with those who don’t pay the National Minimum Wage (NMW) and new penalties have been in force for non-compliance since April this year.

Ray Darby, Managing Partner from Bentleys said; “the rules have been with us for some years and require minimum rates of pay for certain workers.

“From 6 April 2009, a new automatic penalty will be raised on employers where HMRC find NMW arrears. Penalties will range from £100 to £5,000 in addition to any arrears of pay owed to the workers. The most serious cases could lead to a criminal sentence or an unlimited fine.

“Several changes are also being made to the powers of investigating officers such as the ability to remove NMW records from an employer’s premises”.

To read more about the NMW rules visit the HMRC website or speak to Ray on 01204 388675.