Stamp Duty Land Tax on a home in England or Northern Ireland is charged in slices: nothing on the first £125,000, 2% from £125,001 to £250,000, 5% to £925,000, 10% to £1.5 million and 12% above. A mover buying at £300,000 pays £5,000; a first-time buyer pays nothing up to £300,000 and 5% on the slice to £500,000; anyone buying an additional property adds 5% to every band. Scotland and Wales run their own taxes with different bands. The tables below give the bands, worked figures at common prices and the three cases that change the bill most.
The bands for England and Northern Ireland
| Slice of the price | Standard rate | Additional property |
|---|---|---|
| Up to £125,000 | 0% | 5% |
| £125,001 to £250,000 | 2% | 7% |
| £250,001 to £925,000 | 5% | 10% |
| £925,001 to £1.5 million | 10% | 15% |
| Over £1.5 million | 12% | 17% |
The bands returned to these levels on 1 April 2025, when the temporary nil-rate threshold of £250,000 ended. The tax is on the whole chargeable consideration, including fixtures included in the price, and is due within 14 days of completion; in practice the conveyancer files the return and pays it from completion funds.
What it costs at common prices
| Price | Mover, standard rates | First-time buyer | Additional property |
|---|---|---|---|
| £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 | £27,500 | £65,000 |
| £1,000,000 | £43,750 | £43,750 | £93,750 |
The stamp duty calculator gives the figure for any price in any of the four nations, with the slice-by-slice working.
First-time buyer relief
A first-time buyer, meaning someone who has never owned a residential property anywhere in the world, pays no tax on the first £300,000 and 5% on the part between £300,001 and £500,000. Above £500,000 the relief disappears entirely and the standard rates apply to the whole price, so a purchase at £500,001 costs £15,000 against £10,000 at £500,000. Where two people buy together, both must qualify. The first-time buyer stamp duty calculator shows the saving against the standard rates and where the cliff edge falls.
The additional property surcharge
Buying a residential property when you already own another, anywhere in the world, adds 5 percentage points to every band, provided the price is £40,000 or more. This catches buy-to-let purchases, second homes and, temporarily, people who buy a new home before selling the old one; in that last case the surcharge is refunded if the previous main residence is sold within 36 months. A £300,000 buy-to-let therefore pays £20,000 rather than £5,000. The second home surcharge calculator covers the refund position as well as the bill.
Buyers who are not UK resident pay a further 2 percentage points on every band on purchases of £40,000 or more, which can stack with the additional property surcharge. The non-resident stamp duty calculator applies both.
Scotland and Wales
Scotland charges Land and Buildings Transaction Tax and Wales charges Land Transaction Tax, each with its own bands.
| Slice of the price | Scotland (LBTT) | Wales (LTT) |
|---|---|---|
| Up to £125,000 | 0% | 0% |
| £125,001 to £145,000 | 0% | 0% |
| £145,001 to £225,000 | 2% | 0% |
| £225,001 to £250,000 | 2% | 6% |
| £250,001 to £325,000 | 5% | 6% |
| £325,001 to £400,000 | 10% | 6% |
| £400,001 to £750,000 | 10% | 7.5% |
| £750,001 to £1.5 million | 12% | 10% |
| Over £1.5 million | 12% | 12% |
Scottish first-time buyers get a nil-rate band of £175,000 rather than £145,000, worth up to £600. Scotland’s Additional Dwelling Supplement is 8% of the whole price on additional properties from 5 December 2024, far steeper than England’s 5%. Wales has no first-time buyer relief but a higher nil-rate band of £225,000, and its higher residential rates for additional properties start at 5% on the first £180,000 and rise to 17% above £1.5 million.
| Price | England mover | Scotland mover | Scotland first-time buyer | Wales mover |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| £200,000 | £1,500 | £1,100 | £500 | £0 |
| £300,000 | £5,000 | £4,600 | £4,000 | £4,500 |
| £500,000 | £15,000 | £23,350 | £22,750 | £18,000 |
Common questions
How much is stamp duty on a £300,000 house? £5,000 for a mover in England or Northern Ireland, nothing for a first-time buyer, and £20,000 for an additional property. In Scotland a mover pays £4,600; in Wales £4,500.
What is the stamp duty threshold in 2026/27? £125,000 for standard purchases and £300,000 for first-time buyers, with first-time buyer relief available on purchases up to £500,000.
Do first-time buyers pay stamp duty? Not on the first £300,000. They pay 5% on the part between £300,001 and £500,000, and standard rates on the whole price above £500,000.
How much is the second home surcharge? An extra 5 percentage points on every band in England and Northern Ireland, 8% of the whole price in Scotland, and Wales’s separate higher rates starting at 5%.
When do I pay stamp duty? Within 14 days of completion. The solicitor or conveyancer normally files the return and pays from the completion monies.
Can I add stamp duty to my mortgage? Only indirectly, by borrowing more against the property if the lender allows; it is not a separately financed item. The mortgage affordability calculator shows what a larger loan means for monthly payments.
Information, not financial advice. Bands and rates are the published figures on gov.uk: Stamp Duty Land Tax, Revenue Scotland and the Welsh Government; figures are estimates from the site’s calculator for standard cases. Reliefs and special cases vary, so confirm with your conveyancer before acting on them.