UK Stamp Duty Calculator 2025

It's a tax you pay when you buy property in England or Northern Ireland. It works in bands, a bit like income tax — you pay different rates on different slices of the price, not one flat rate on the whole thing. So on a £350,000 house, you'd pay 0% on the first £250,000 and 5% on the remaining £100,000. That's £5,000 total.

In England and Northern Ireland: 0% up to £250,000, 5% on £250,001–£925,000, 10% on £925,001–£1,500,000, and 12% above that. First-time buyers get a better deal — 0% up to £425,000 on properties under £625,000. You can cross-check your figure on the gov.uk stamp duty calculator.

Usually very little or nothing. You pay 0% on the first £425,000 and 5% on the bit between £425,001 and £625,000. So a first-time buyer picking up a £500,000 flat pays just £3,750. But if the property costs more than £625,000, the relief vanishes completely and you're on standard rates for the full amount. That cliff edge catches a lot of people out in London.

If you already own a home and you're buying another one — a buy-to-let, a holiday place, whatever — you pay an extra 3% on top of everything. And it applies to the full purchase price, not just the bit above a threshold. Good news though: if you sell your old main home within 3 years, you can apply for a refund of the surcharge.

An extra 2% on the entire purchase price. It's been in place since April 2021. If you move to the UK and become tax resident within 12 months of buying, you can claim it back.

Wales doesn't use SDLT — it has its own Land Transaction Tax (LTT) with different thresholds. The bands are: 0% up to £225,000, 6% on £225,001–£400,000, 7.5% on £400,001–£750,000, 10% on £750,001–£1,500,000, and 12% above that. It replaced SDLT back in April 2018 when tax powers were devolved.

Scotland has the Land and Buildings Transaction Tax. The nil-rate band is lower than England — just £145,000 — so you start paying sooner. After that it's 2% up to £250,000, 5% to £325,000, 10% to £750,000, and 12% above. Revenue Scotland handles it rather than HMRC.

Technically within 14 days of completion in England and NI. Don't panic though — your solicitor handles this. They'll file the return and send the payment to HMRC as part of the conveyancing process. In Scotland and Wales it's 30 days. Miss the deadline and there are automatic penalties plus interest.

No, not directly. Most lenders won't let you. You need to have the stamp duty ready in cash alongside your deposit. The only exception is if the property values higher than the purchase price — then you might be able to borrow slightly more, but that's rare and depends on the lender.

Yes — same rates as any other property. First-time buyer relief still applies if you qualify. Some developers will offer to "pay your stamp duty" as a sales incentive, but keep in mind they've usually just baked that cost into a higher asking price.