UK Stamp Duty Calculator
Work out how much stamp duty you will pay on a UK property. 2026/27 SDLT rates with first-time buyer relief and second home surcharge.
Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) is the tax paid when buying residential property or land in England and Northern Ireland above a certain price. Enter the purchase price and select your buyer type to see a full band-by-band breakdown. This calculator uses the rates effective from 1 April 2025, which apply to the 2025/26 and 2026/27 tax years.
For informational purposes only. Not financial advice. Calculations are estimates and may not reflect your exact situation. Consult a qualified financial adviser for personalised guidance.
About UK Stamp Duty Calculator
Current SDLT Rate Bands (2026/27)
| Property Price Band | Standard Rate | First-Time Buyer | Additional Property (+5%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to £125,000 | 0% | 0% | 5% |
| £125,001 - £250,000 | 2% | 0% (up to £300K) | 7% |
| £250,001 - £300,000 | 5% | 0% (up to £300K) | 10% |
| £300,001 - £500,000 | 5% | 5% | 10% |
| £500,001 - £925,000 | 5% | Standard rates | 10% |
| £925,001 - £1,500,000 | 10% | Standard rates | 15% |
| Above £1,500,000 | 12% | Standard rates | 17% |
SDLT is a progressive tax, like income tax. Each band rate only applies to the portion of the purchase price that falls within that band, not to the whole price. This is one of the most common misunderstandings - buying a property for £260,000 does not mean you pay 5% on the full amount.
How Is SDLT Calculated?
The calculation works by slicing the purchase price into bands and applying the relevant rate to each slice separately. The formula is: SDLT = (amount in band 1 x rate 1) + (amount in band 2 x rate 2) + ... for each band the price passes through.
Worked example - standard buyer, £350,000 property:
| Band | Taxable Amount | Rate | Tax |
|---|---|---|---|
| £0 - £125,000 | £125,000 | 0% | £0 |
| £125,001 - £250,000 | £125,000 | 2% | £2,500 |
| £250,001 - £350,000 | £100,000 | 5% | £5,000 |
| Total SDLT | £7,500 | ||
The effective rate here is £7,500 / £350,000 = 2.14%. That is much lower than the 5% top band rate, because most of the price falls in lower bands. On a £250,000 property, SDLT would be just £2,500 (1.0% effective rate). On £500,000, it would be £15,000 (3.0%).
Worked example - standard buyer, £1,000,000 property:
| Band | Taxable Amount | Rate | Tax |
|---|---|---|---|
| £0 - £125,000 | £125,000 | 0% | £0 |
| £125,001 - £250,000 | £125,000 | 2% | £2,500 |
| £250,001 - £925,000 | £675,000 | 5% | £33,750 |
| £925,001 - £1,000,000 | £75,000 | 10% | £7,500 |
| Total SDLT | £43,750 | ||
Effective rate: 4.38%. Use the mortgage calculator to see how monthly repayments look alongside this upfront cost.
How Does First-Time Buyer Relief Work?
First-time buyers pay no SDLT on the first £300,000, and 5% on the portion between £300,001 and £500,000. The relief is only available if the property costs £500,000 or less. At £500,001, the relief disappears entirely and standard rates apply to the full price - there is no tapering.
Example - first-time buyer, £450,000:
- £0 - £300,000: 0% = £0
- £300,001 - £450,000: 5% = £7,500
- Total: £7,500 (vs £12,500 at standard rates - saving £5,000)
To qualify, neither buyer can have previously owned a property anywhere in the world, including inherited property. If buying jointly, both must be first-time buyers. The relief was introduced in November 2017, and the thresholds were temporarily raised between September 2022 and March 2025 (nil-rate at £425,000, cap at £625,000) before reverting to the current levels on 1 April 2025.
HMRC data for 2024/25 shows the amount of SDLT relieved through first-time buyer relief jumped 44%, from £540 million to £779 million (HMRC Annual Stamp Tax Statistics, December 2025). Some 155,400 transactions claimed the relief that year, a 37% increase on 2023/24. London and the South East accounted for 59% of the total relief value, reflecting higher property prices in those regions.
What Is the Additional Property Surcharge?
The surcharge for additional residential properties increased from 3% to 5% on 31 October 2024 following the Autumn Budget announcement. It applies on top of the standard SDLT rates when purchasing:
- Second homes and holiday homes
- Buy-to-let investment properties
- Properties bought through companies
- Any purchase where the buyer already owns another residential property (worldwide)
The surcharge does not apply to properties costing £40,000 or less. It also does not apply if the buyer is replacing their main residence (provided the old property is sold within 36 months).
Example - additional property, £300,000:
| Band | Standard Rate + 5% | Tax |
|---|---|---|
| £0 - £125,000 | 5% | £6,250 |
| £125,001 - £250,000 | 7% | £8,750 |
| £250,001 - £300,000 | 10% | £5,000 |
| Total SDLT | £20,000 | |
A standard buyer would pay £5,000 on the same property. The surcharge adds £15,000. HMRC reported that higher rates for additional dwellings (HRAD) receipts rose more than 70% in 2024/25, from £1.7 billion to £2.9 billion, driven largely by the rate increase (HMRC Annual Stamp Tax Statistics, December 2025).
SDLT Quick Reference by Property Price
| Property Price | Standard SDLT | First-Time Buyer | Additional Property |
|---|---|---|---|
| £150,000 | £500 | £0 | £8,000 |
| £200,000 | £1,500 | £0 | £11,500 |
| £250,000 | £2,500 | £0 | £15,000 |
| £300,000 | £5,000 | £0 | £20,000 |
| £400,000 | £10,000 | £5,000 | £30,000 |
| £500,000 | £15,000 | £10,000 | £40,000 |
| £750,000 | £27,500 | Standard rates | £65,000 |
| £1,000,000 | £43,750 | Standard rates | £93,750 |
All figures calculated using the rates effective from 1 April 2025. First-time buyer relief only applies to properties of £500,000 or below.
UK Property Market and SDLT Revenue
The average UK house price was £268,000 in January 2026, up 1.3% from the previous year, according to the ONS UK House Price Index. In England, the average was £292,000 as of December 2025. Housing affordability has improved since 2021: while median house prices in England rose 5% between 2021 and 2025, average earnings grew by 25% over the same period (ONS Housing Affordability in England and Wales, March 2026). The median home in England now costs 7.6 times the median full-time salary of £39,300 - down from 9.0 in 2021, but still above the long-run average of roughly 5.0.
HMRC data for 2024/25 shows residential SDLT receipts totalled £10.4 billion, a 21% increase on the previous year. Total residential transactions rose 20% year-on-year, partly driven by forestalling ahead of the 1 April 2025 threshold changes. First-time buyers accounted for 38.4% of all residential property sales in 2023, up from 28.0% a decade earlier (ONS/FCA, March 2025). By 2024, there were 341,068 first-time buyers in the UK, recovering from a low of 282,000 in 2023 (Yorkshire Building Society/UK Finance, 2025).
For buyers at the current average England price of £292,000, a standard buyer pays £4,600 in SDLT, while a first-time buyer pays nothing. An additional property buyer would face £19,200 including the 5% surcharge. The mortgage affordability calculator helps factor these upfront costs into the overall budget.
Common Mistakes When Estimating SDLT
The most frequent error is applying the top band rate to the entire purchase price. On a £350,000 property, some buyers assume they owe 5% of £350,000 (£17,500) when the actual bill is £7,500. The progressive banding system means the effective rate is always lower than the top band rate.
Another common mistake is forgetting the first-time buyer cliff edge at £500,000. A property priced at £499,999 attracts just £10,000 in SDLT with first-time buyer relief. At £500,001, the relief vanishes completely and the buyer owes £15,000 at standard rates - an extra £5,000 for crossing the threshold by £2. Negotiating the price down by a small amount can deliver significant savings near this boundary.
Buy-to-let investors sometimes forget that the 5% surcharge applies even when the additional property is very cheap. A £50,000 buy-to-let incurs no standard SDLT (under the £125,000 threshold), but the surcharge still applies: 5% of £50,000 = £2,500. The only exemption is properties below £40,000.
Replacing a main residence is another area of confusion. If a buyer sells their existing home and buys a new one, the additional property surcharge should not apply. But if the old home has not sold by the time the new purchase completes, the surcharge is charged upfront. The buyer then has 36 months to sell the old property and claim a refund of the surcharge from HMRC.
Finally, SDLT is due within 14 days of completion. Late payment incurs interest and potentially penalties from HMRC. Solicitors normally handle the payment and filing as part of the conveyancing process.
Other Costs When Buying Property
SDLT is just one of several upfront costs. A typical purchase also involves solicitor/conveyancing fees (£1,000 - £2,000), a survey (£300 - £700 depending on type), mortgage arrangement fees (£0 - £2,000), and removal costs. On a £300,000 property with a 10% deposit, a standard buyer might budget roughly £5,000 in SDLT, £1,500 in legal fees, £500 for a survey, and £1,000 in mortgage fees - around £8,000 on top of the £30,000 deposit. The house affordability calculator can help estimate what purchase price fits within a given budget once all these costs are included.
Scotland and Wales
SDLT only applies in England and Northern Ireland. Scotland replaced it with Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT) in April 2015, which has different bands starting at a nil-rate threshold of £145,000. Wales introduced Land Transaction Tax (LTT) in April 2018 with its own rates and a nil-rate band up to £225,000. Both countries also have their own additional property surcharges. This calculator covers England and Northern Ireland only.
Non-Resident Surcharge
Since April 2021, buyers who are not UK residents pay an extra 2% surcharge on top of all other SDLT rates. This stacks with the additional property surcharge where applicable, meaning a non-resident buying a second home could pay the standard rate plus 5% (additional property) plus 2% (non-resident) on each band. On a £500,000 second home, a non-resident would pay £50,000 in SDLT compared to £15,000 for a UK-resident standard buyer.
The non-resident surcharge applies to individuals who spent fewer than 183 days in the UK during the 12 months before the purchase. If the buyer becomes UK-resident within 12 months of completion and intends to remain, they can apply for a refund of the 2% surcharge.
When budgeting for a purchase, the mortgage calculator shows monthly repayments, and the capital gains tax calculator covers the tax implications when eventually selling.
All rates shown are from HMRC guidance effective 1 April 2025. Calculations run entirely in the browser - no data is sent to any server.
Sources
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT)?
SDLT is a tax you pay when buying residential property or land in England and Northern Ireland above a certain price. The tax is calculated on a sliding scale across several bands, so you only pay the higher rate on the portion of the price within each band.
How does first-time buyer relief work?
First-time buyers pay no SDLT on the first £300,000 of a property priced up to £500,000. They pay 5% on the portion between £300,001 and £500,000. If the property costs more than £500,000, standard rates apply to the entire purchase price.
What is the additional property surcharge?
If you are buying an additional residential property such as a buy-to-let or second home, you pay a 5% surcharge on top of the standard SDLT rates. This applies to properties costing more than £40,000 from 1 April 2025.
Does Scotland use the same stamp duty rates?
No. Scotland has its own property tax called Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT) with different bands and rates. Wales uses Land Transaction Tax (LTT). This calculator covers England and Northern Ireland only.
When did the current SDLT rates take effect?
The current rates took effect on 1 April 2025 when the previous temporary thresholds ended. The nil-rate band returned to £125,000 for standard buyers and £300,000 for first-time buyers, with the first-time buyer cap at £500,000.
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