Buying a property in England or Northern Ireland? You'll almost certainly pay Stamp Duty Land Tax. The amount depends on the purchase price, whether you're a first-time buyer, and whether you already own another property. Get it wrong and you'll budget incorrectly. Get it right and you might save thousands.
This is the complete guide to stamp duty in 2026 — every rate, every threshold, every exemption, with worked examples at real-world price points and the tools to calculate your exact bill in seconds.
The rates below have been in effect since 1 April 2025, when the temporary higher thresholds introduced during the pandemic were withdrawn. If you completed before that date, you paid less. If you're buying now, these are the numbers that matter.
These rates apply to anyone buying a residential property who isn't a first-time buyer and doesn't already own another property.
| Portion of Purchase Price | SDLT Rate |
|---|---|
| Up to £125,000 | 0% |
| £125,001 to £250,000 | 2% |
| £250,001 to £925,000 | 5% |
| £925,001 to £1,500,000 | 10% |
| Over £1,500,000 | 12% |
These are marginal rates — you don't pay 5% on your entire purchase price. You pay each rate only on the portion that falls within that band. A £400,000 property doesn't cost £20,000 in stamp duty. It costs £10,000.
If neither you nor anyone you're buying with has ever owned a property anywhere in the world, you qualify for first-time buyer relief.
| Portion of Purchase Price | SDLT Rate |
|---|---|
| Up to £300,000 | 0% |
| £300,001 to £500,000 | 5% |
There's a catch: FTB relief only applies to properties costing £500,000 or less. Buy at £500,001 and you lose the relief entirely — you pay standard rates on the whole purchase. That's a cliff edge worth knowing about.
Buying a second home, holiday let, or buy-to-let investment? You pay an extra 3% on top of every standard band. This surcharge applies to the entire purchase price, not just the portion above each threshold.
| Portion of Purchase Price | Standard Rate | Additional Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Up to £125,000 | 0% | 3% |
| £125,001 to £250,000 | 2% | 5% |
| £250,001 to £925,000 | 5% | 8% |
| £925,001 to £1,500,000 | 10% | 13% |
| Over £1,500,000 | 12% | 15% |
On a £350,000 buy-to-let, the surcharge alone adds £10,500 to your stamp duty bill, taking it from £7,500 to £18,000. That's a significant chunk of your investment capital. Use the additional property calculator to see the full breakdown.
People want specific numbers. Here they are — stamp duty for standard buyers, first-time buyers, and additional property purchasers at the prices most people actually buy at.
| Price | Standard | First-Time Buyer | Additional (+3%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| £125,000 | £0 | £0 | £3,750 |
| £200,000 | £1,500 | £0 | £7,500 |
| £250,000 | £2,500 | £0 | £10,000 |
| £300,000 | £5,000 | £0 | £14,000 |
| £350,000 | £7,500 | £2,500 | £18,000 |
| £400,000 | £10,000 | £5,000 | £22,000 |
| £450,000 | £12,500 | £7,500 | £26,000 |
| £500,000 | £15,000 | £10,000 | £30,000 |
| £600,000 | £20,000 | N/A* | £38,000 |
| £750,000 | £27,500 | N/A* | £50,000 |
| £1,000,000 | £41,250 | N/A* | £71,250 |
*FTB relief not available above £500,000 — standard rates apply.
For detailed breakdowns at specific prices, see our scenario pages: stamp duty on £350k, FTB stamp duty on £425k, and buy-to-let stamp duty on £500k.
Let's walk through the maths for a £350,000 property — the most commonly searched price point in the UK right now.
The difference between a first-time buyer and an additional property buyer at £350,000 is £15,500. That's not a rounding error — it's a deposit-sized chunk of money.
Stamp Duty Land Tax is a transaction tax, not an annual charge. You pay it once, at the point of purchase. Here's the process:
You don't need to calculate or pay stamp duty yourself. Your solicitor or conveyancer handles it. But you absolutely need to know how much it costs so you can budget properly — because it comes out of your cash on completion day, on top of your deposit.
Stamp duty is just one part of the total cost of buying. You also need to budget for solicitor fees, surveys, Land Registry fees, removals and more. Our moving costs calculator adds it all up.
Some transactions are completely exempt:
There's a common myth that you can avoid stamp duty by buying at auction or through a limited company. You can't. The tax applies regardless of the purchase method. Companies buying residential property actually pay more — there's an additional 2% surcharge above £500,000.
Compare conveyancing quotes from regulated solicitors. Get 3-4 quotes in minutes, no obligation. Your solicitor handles the SDLT return and payment for you.
Compare Conveyancing Costs →Use our calculator to estimate solicitor and disbursement costs before you commit.
You can't dodge stamp duty, but there are legitimate ways to reduce it:
The most valuable relief available. If you've never owned a property, you save up to £6,250 on properties up to £500,000. This isn't optional — your solicitor applies it automatically if you qualify. But make sure your solicitor knows you're a first-time buyer. If they apply standard rates by mistake, you'll overpay.
Stamp duty is calculated on the purchase price, so every pound you negotiate off the asking price reduces your tax. On a property hovering just above a threshold — say £260,000 — negotiating down to £250,000 saves you £500 in stamp duty on top of the £10,000 price reduction.
If you buy a new main residence before selling your old one, you'll pay the 3% surcharge upfront. But if you sell your previous main home within 36 months of buying the new one, you can claim a refund of the surcharge from HMRC. This is worth up to tens of thousands of pounds — don't let your solicitor forget to file the refund claim.
Transfers of property between married couples or civil partners are exempt from SDLT, even if there's a mortgage involved. This can be useful for tax planning — particularly around the additional property surcharge.
If you buy through a shared ownership scheme, you only pay stamp duty on the share you purchase, not the full market value. On a £300,000 property where you buy a 50% share, you'd pay stamp duty on £150,000 — which is £500 for a standard buyer or £0 for a first-time buyer.
The government cut stamp duty temporarily in September 2022, raising the nil-rate threshold from £125,000 to £250,000 and the FTB threshold from £300,000 to £425,000. That relief ended on 31 March 2025.
If you bought before April 2025, you paid less. Here's how the thresholds compare:
| Before April 2025 | From April 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Standard nil-rate band | £250,000 | £125,000 |
| FTB nil-rate band | £425,000 | £300,000 |
| FTB maximum price | £625,000 | £500,000 |
The practical impact: a standard buyer purchasing at £300,000 now pays £5,000 instead of £2,500. A first-time buyer at £400,000 now pays £5,000 instead of £0. Read our full breakdown of the April 2025 changes.
SDLT only applies in England and Northern Ireland. If you're buying in Scotland, you pay Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT). In Wales, you pay Land Transaction Tax (LTT). Both have different rates, different thresholds, and different relief for first-time buyers.
Scotland's LBTT has a nil-rate band of £145,000 for standard buyers and £175,000 for first-time buyers. Wales's LTT has a nil-rate band of £225,000 with no separate FTB relief. We cover these separately — this guide focuses on English and Northern Irish SDLT.
The 3% additional property surcharge makes buy-to-let significantly more expensive than buying a home to live in. On a £500,000 investment property, you'll pay £30,000 in stamp duty — double the £15,000 a homeowner would pay.
This is on top of other tax changes that have made landlording less profitable: the restriction of mortgage interest relief to basic rate, the reduction of the capital gains tax annual exemption, and higher CGT rates on property disposals.
Before committing to a buy-to-let purchase, use our rental yield calculator to check whether the numbers actually work after all taxes and costs.
Calculate your rental yield, stamp duty, and mortgage costs to see if the investment stacks up. Factor in the 3% surcharge before you commit.
Calculate BTL Stamp Duty →All calculations are estimates. Consult a financial adviser for personalised advice on buy-to-let investments.
A standard buyer pays £5,000. A first-time buyer pays £0 (the entire amount falls within the £300,000 FTB nil-rate band). An additional property buyer pays £14,000.
Not on properties up to £300,000. Between £300,001 and £500,000, you pay 5% only on the portion above £300,000. Above £500,000, FTB relief doesn't apply and you pay standard rates.
An extra 3% on top of standard rates, charged on every band. It applies when you buy a second home, holiday let, or buy-to-let if you already own another property. On a £350,000 purchase, it adds £10,500.
Within 14 days of completion. Your solicitor handles the SDLT return and payment. Miss the deadline and HMRC charges interest plus potential penalties.
You can't avoid it on a qualifying purchase, but FTB relief, spouse transfers, buying below the nil-rate threshold, and shared ownership schemes can all reduce or eliminate your bill.
Yes. Scotland uses LBTT with different rates and a £145,000 nil-rate band. Wales uses LTT with a £225,000 nil-rate band and no FTB relief. This guide covers England and Northern Ireland SDLT only.
Stamp duty is one of the biggest upfront costs when buying a property, and it's not negotiable — HMRC takes what's owed. But knowing exactly how much you'll pay, and whether you qualify for any relief, means you can budget accurately and avoid nasty surprises on completion day.
The single most important thing you can do is run the numbers before you start viewing properties. If your budget is £350,000, you need £7,500 for stamp duty (or £2,500 as a first-time buyer) on top of your deposit, solicitor fees, and other costs. That money needs to be in your bank account on completion day.
Use the calculators below to get your exact figures in seconds.