Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) is a tiered tax paid by the buyer when purchasing residential property in England and Northern Ireland. You pay different rates on different slices of the purchase price, not one flat percentage on the whole amount, which is why a £260,000 home does not cost dramatically more in tax than a £250,000 one. The thresholds below have been in force since 1 April 2025, when the temporary higher nil rate band ended, and they still apply in 2026. Scotland and Wales run their own systems (LBTT and LTT), so this page and our calculator are for England and Northern Ireland only.
Stamp duty rates for home movers If you already own a property and are selling it to buy your next home, standard rates apply: 0% on the first £125,000, 2% on the portion from £125,001 to £250,000, 5% from £250,001 to £925,000, 10% from £925,001 to £1.5 million and 12% on anything above £1.5 million. On a £400,000 purchase that works out at £10,000, and on a £300,000 purchase it is £5,000. Our moving home calculator adds this to your other moving costs so you can see the full picture.
First time buyer relief First time buyers get a higher nil rate band. You pay no stamp duty on the first £300,000 and 5% on the portion from £300,001 to £500,000. Buy for more than £500,000 and the relief disappears entirely, so standard home mover rates apply to the whole price. To qualify, every buyer on the purchase must be buying their first property anywhere in the world and intend to live in it as their main residence. On a £350,000 first home the bill is £2,500, compared with £7,500 for a home mover, a saving of £5,000.
Additional property surcharge If you are buying an additional residential property, such as a buy to let or second home, a 5% surcharge is added to every band on top of the standard rates (it rose from 3% to 5% on 31 October 2024). The surcharge also applies if you complete on a new main residence before selling your old one. If you then sell the previous home within 36 months you can claim the surcharge back from HMRC. Non UK residents pay a further 2% on top of whichever rates apply to them.
Stamp duty guide
I get asked about stamp duty on almost every purchase we arrange, so here is everything in one place: the current rates for each type of buyer, real examples you can compare with your own numbers, and the practical bits about when and how the tax actually gets paid. The calculator above does the maths. This section explains what it is doing and why.
| Portion of price | Rate |
|---|---|
| Up to £125,000 | 0% |
| £125,001 to £250,000 | 2% |
| £250,001 to £925,000 | 5% |
| £925,001 to £1.5 million | 10% |
| Above £1.5 million | 12% |
These are the rates for anyone replacing their main residence, and for first time buyers paying more than £500,000.
| Portion of price | Rate |
|---|---|
| Up to £300,000 | 0% |
| £300,001 to £500,000 | 5% |
| Purchase price above £500,000 | No relief, standard rates apply |
All buyers on the application must be first time buyers. If one of you has owned before, even a share of an inherited property, the relief is lost for both of you.
| Portion of price | Rate |
|---|---|
| Up to £125,000 | 5% |
| £125,001 to £250,000 | 7% |
| £250,001 to £925,000 | 10% |
| £925,001 to £1.5 million | 15% |
| Above £1.5 million | 17% |
The 5% additional property surcharge applies from the first pound, so there is no nil rate band at all on a second home or buy to let purchase.
If you have spent fewer than 183 days in the UK in the 12 months before completion, a 2% non UK resident surcharge is added to every band, on top of any additional property surcharge. Spend 183 days in the UK in the 12 months after completion and you can claim the 2% back. Our calculator includes this when you select Non UK Resident.
Northern Ireland uses the same SDLT rates as England. Scotland charges Land and Buildings Transaction Tax and Wales charges Land Transaction Tax, both with different thresholds, so use the Revenue Scotland or Welsh Revenue Authority calculators for purchases there.
£250,000 first home. The whole price sits inside the £300,000 first time buyer nil rate band, so the stamp duty is £0. A home mover buying the same house would pay 2% on £125,000, which is £2,500.
£350,000 first home. Nothing on the first £300,000, then 5% on the £50,000 above it. Total stamp duty £2,500. A home mover pays £7,500 on the same property (2% of £125,000 plus 5% of £100,000).
£400,000 home mover. 0% on £125,000, 2% on the next £125,000 (£2,500) and 5% on the remaining £150,000 (£7,500). Total £10,000, an effective rate of 2.5%.
£600,000 first time buyer. The price is over £500,000 so no relief applies. 2% on £125,000 (£2,500) plus 5% on £350,000 (£17,500) gives £20,000. This cliff edge is why some buyers negotiate hard to get a price under £500,000.
£300,000 buy to let. 5% on the first £125,000 (£6,250), 7% on the next £125,000 (£8,750) and 10% on the final £50,000 (£5,000). Total £20,000, four times what a home mover would pay. Landlords need to factor this into their rental yield calculations from day one.
£300,000 buy to let, non UK resident. Add 2% to every band: 7%, 9% and 12%. Total £26,000.
Stamp duty is due within 14 days of completion. In practice your solicitor or conveyancer files the SDLT return and pays HMRC for you, and they will ask for the money before completion along with your deposit and their fees. You cannot add stamp duty to your mortgage, so it has to come from savings, a gift or the proceeds of your sale.
Miss the 14 day deadline and HMRC charges a penalty plus interest, which is another good reason to know your figure early and have the funds sat in the right account.
Yes, in a few situations. If you paid the 5% additional property surcharge because you bought your new home before selling the old one, you can claim a refund provided the old home is sold within 36 months. Non UK residents who go on to spend 183 days in the UK within the following year can reclaim the 2% surcharge. Claims are made to HMRC online, usually by your solicitor, and are normally paid within a few weeks.
Because stamp duty comes out of your cash, it directly affects the deposit you have left and therefore your loan to value. A buyer with £40,000 saved for a £350,000 home mover purchase actually has £32,500 for the deposit after stamp duty, before legal fees and surveys. That can push you from a 10% deposit product into a 5% one with a higher rate. We work this out with every client before they offer, using this calculator alongside our loan to value and mortgage borrowing calculators.
On a shared ownership purchase you can choose to pay stamp duty on the full market value up front (a market value election) or pay in stages as you buy more shares. First time buyer relief can apply to the election route. Developer incentives on new builds do not reduce the price for stamp duty purposes, and mixed use or six or more dwellings bought together fall under non residential rates. These are the cases where it pays to check with us and your solicitor before exchanging.
Do first time buyers pay stamp duty in 2026? Not on the first £300,000. Between £300,001 and £500,000 you pay 5% on that portion only. Over £500,000 you pay standard rates on the whole price.
Is stamp duty the same in Scotland and Wales? No. Scotland has LBTT with a £145,000 starting threshold (£175,000 for first time buyers) and Wales has LTT starting at £225,000 with no separate first time buyer relief. Both have their own additional property surcharges.
Do I pay stamp duty if I inherit or am given a property? Not on an inheritance or an outright gift with no mortgage taken on. If you take over a mortgage as part of a transfer, stamp duty can be due on the debt you assume.
Is the stamp duty calculator updated? Yes. The rates on this page and in the tool were last checked against HMRC guidance in September 2026 and will be updated the same day if the government announces a change in a Budget or Autumn Statement.
Does a buy to let count as an additional property if I rent and do not own my home? If you own no other residential property anywhere in the world, your first buy to let is taxed at standard rates, not the surcharged rates, though first time buyer relief is not available because you will not live there.
Speak to one of our mortgage advisers today. Our advice is fee free on standard residential and buy to let mortgages. We will calculate your affordability, explain your options and help you move forward with confidence.
