Stamp Duty Calculator

SDLT works like income tax: it's a tiered slice system. Each portion of the property price that falls within a specific band is taxed at that band's rate, and the slices are summed to produce the total SDLT bill. You do NOT pay the top-band rate on the entire price — that's a common misconception. For a £350,000 residential purchase by a standard buyer: the first £125,000 is taxed at 0% (£0), the next £125,000 is taxed at 2% (£2,500), and the final £100,000 falls into the 5% band (£5,000) — total £7,500, effective rate 2.14%. Surcharges (additional property +5%, non-resident +2%) add a flat percentage to every band, including the 0% starter band. The calculation must be filed with HMRC via the SDLT1 return within 14 days of completion, normally handled by your conveyancer.

Residential SDLT bands effective 1 April 2025 (applicable for 2026 transactions): 0% on the first £125,000, 2% on £125,001–£250,000, 5% on £250,001–£925,000, 10% on £925,001–£1,500,000, and 12% above £1,500,000. These bands reverted from the temporary higher thresholds (£250,000 and £425,000 FTB) that ran from September 2022 to March 2025. Non-residential and mixed-use property uses lower bands: 0% on first £150,000, 2% on £150,001–£250,000, 5% above £250,000. First-time buyers get their own bands: 0% on first £300,000, 5% on £300,001–£500,000 — relief is lost entirely above £500,000. Our stamp duty rates explained tool shows you the exact band split for your property price.

First-time buyer relief is the biggest SDLT discount available — but the rules are strict and the £500,000 cliff edge is unforgiving. You qualify if every buyer on the purchase has never owned a freehold or leasehold residential property anywhere in the world. Inheriting a share of a property counts as ownership; living in a parent's home does not. Both joint buyers must qualify — if your partner previously owned a flat, the relief is lost for the whole transaction even if you've never owned before. On qualifying purchases up to £500,000 you pay 0% on the first £300,000 and 5% on the £300,001–£500,000 slice. A £450,000 purchase costs the FTB just £7,500 versus £12,500 standard — a £5,000 saving. But £510,000? Full standard rates apply on the entire price — £15,500 instead of £8,000 if FTB relief had extended. Negotiating the price down to £500,000 saves you £7,500 in SDLT.

If you already own one or more residential properties anywhere in the world and you buy another, you pay an extra 5% on top of every SDLT band. This is the additional property surcharge, raised from 3% to 5% on 31 October 2024 in the Autumn Budget. It catches second homes, holiday lets, buy-to-let investments, and limited company purchases of residential property. The surcharge stacks even on the 0% starter band — so a £200,000 buy-to-let pays 5% on every pound (£10,000), not 0% on the first £125K. It does NOT apply if you're replacing your only or main residence and selling the previous one on the same day. If you complete the new purchase before selling the old, you pay the surcharge upfront and can reclaim it from HMRC within 12 months of selling the old home, provided that sale happens within 36 months. The reclaim is filed via form SDLT16 or online through your Government Gateway.

Introduced on 1 April 2021, the non-UK resident surcharge adds 2% to every SDLT band when a non-resident buys residential property in England or Northern Ireland. You're non-resident for SDLT purposes if you've been physically present in the UK for fewer than 183 days in the 12 months ending on the effective date of the transaction. The surcharge applies to individuals, non-UK trustees, and non-UK resident companies. Crucially, the 2% surcharge stacks with the 5% additional property surcharge: a non-resident buying a buy-to-let in England pays 7% on top of every band. The surcharge can be reclaimed if you become UK-resident for any continuous 183-day period within 24 months of the purchase — file form SDLT16 within 24 months of completion to claim a refund.

Buy-to-let purchases are caught by the additional property surcharge regardless of whether they're your first or fifteenth investment property. The 5% surcharge applies on every band from £40,000 upwards. A £200,000 buy-to-let pays £10,000 SDLT (5% on £200K) versus £1,500 for the same property as a main residence — a 567% increase. A £400,000 buy-to-let pays £27,500 versus £7,500 standard — an extra £20,000. This makes acquisition costs a major drag on rental yields: a property generating £15,000/year gross rent on a £400,000 purchase loses 18 months of gross rent to SDLT alone. Investors structuring through limited companies pay the same 5% surcharge plus potentially the 15% flat rate (ATED) on properties over £500,000 unless an exemption applies (genuine letting business is the most common exemption). Our buy to let stamp duty calculator factors all of this in when you select Additional property.

Buying a second home — for use as a holiday home, weekend retreat, or family-occupied property — triggers the 5% additional property surcharge. The test is simple: at the end of the day of completion, do you own more than one residential property? If yes (and you're not replacing your main residence in the same transaction), the surcharge applies. Buying jointly with someone who already owns property — say, helping an adult child onto the ladder while you keep your own home — triggers the surcharge on the whole purchase, even though one buyer is a first-time buyer. Workarounds exist (parent giving a deposit gift; sole-purchase by the FTB child) but require legal advice. Our second home stamp duty calculator shows you the surcharge impact: a £450,000 second home pays £35,000 versus £12,500 for the same purchase as a main residence — the surcharge alone costs £22,500.

Several common transactions are exempt from SDLT entirely. Transfers between spouses or civil partners during the relationship — no SDLT regardless of value. Property left in a will to a beneficiary — no SDLT (Inheritance Tax may apply separately). Transfers on divorce or civil partnership dissolution as part of a court-approved settlement — no SDLT even where significant value moves. Gifts of property where no money or mortgage debt changes hands — no SDLT (but Capital Gains Tax may apply to the donor). Freehold residential property under £40,000 — no SDLT, and crucially no additional property surcharge either. Non-residential freehold under £150,000 — zero rated. Other reliefs include charities relief, group relief for connected company transfers, sale-and-leaseback relief, and Right to Buy / Shared Ownership initial-share elections. Always confirm eligibility with a conveyancer — incorrectly claimed reliefs trigger HMRC enquiries.

£200,000 first-time buyer: £0 (entirely within the 0% FTB band). £200,000 standard buyer: £1,500 (0% on £125K + 2% on £75K). £450,000 first-time buyer: £7,500 (0% on £300K + 5% on £150K). £450,000 standard buyer: £12,500 (£2,500 + £10,000). £450,000 buy-to-let: £35,000 (£12,500 standard + £22,500 surcharge). £750,000 standard buyer: £27,500 (£2,500 + £12,500 at 5% + £12,500 at 5%) — wait, let me recompute: 0% on £125K + 2% on £125K (£2,500) + 5% on £500K (£25,000) = £27,500. £750,000 second home: £65,000 (£27,500 standard + £37,500 surcharge at 5% on full price above £40K). £1.2M non-resident second home: standard £53,750 + 5% surcharge £60,000 + 2% surcharge £24,000 = £137,750 total. These are the numbers our stamp duty estimator generates instantly — change the inputs to see your own.

Non-residential property — shops, offices, warehouses, agricultural land, bare land — uses lower SDLT bands than residential: 0% on the first £150,000, 2% on £150,001–£250,000, and 5% above £250,000 with no upper threshold. Mixed-use property qualifies for the same lower rates: classic example is a flat above a shop, or a farmhouse with significant working land. The lower rates plus no surcharges make mixed-use classification valuable — a £600,000 mixed-use purchase pays £19,500 versus £20,000 residential standard. Crucially, neither first-time buyer relief nor the 5% additional property surcharge applies to non-residential/mixed-use property. HMRC scrutinises mixed-use claims carefully: a property with only token non-residential use (e.g. a small home office, an outbuilding used for storage) will not qualify. The non-residential element must be substantial and genuinely commercial. Caution: bulk purchases of 6+ residential properties in a single transaction are also taxed at non-residential rates — Multiple Dwellings Relief was abolished on 1 June 2024.

SDLT covers England and Northern Ireland only. Scotland devolved property taxation in 2015 — properties in Scotland use Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT), administered by Revenue Scotland. LBTT bands are different: 0% to £145,000 (£175,000 for FTBs), 2% to £250,000, 5% to £325,000, 10% to £750,000, 12% above. The Additional Dwelling Supplement (Scotland's equivalent of the 5% surcharge) rose to 8% in April 2024 — higher than the SDLT 5%. Wales adopted Land Transaction Tax (LTT) in April 2018, administered by the Welsh Revenue Authority. LTT bands: 0% to £225,000, 6% to £400,000, 7.5% to £750,000, 10% to £1.5M, 12% above. Wales has no general first-time buyer relief, but its zero-rate threshold of £225,000 is the highest of any UK nation. The Higher Rates of LTT (4% surcharge on additional dwellings) are lower than SDLT's. This stamp duty calculator covers England and Northern Ireland only — for Scotland or Wales, check Revenue Scotland or the WRA directly.

Forgetting the 14-day filing deadline. SDLT must be filed and paid within 14 days of completion; miss it and the £100 fixed penalty kicks in automatically, with daily interest accruing. Most conveyancers handle this but ALWAYS confirm. Misjudging first-time buyer eligibility. Both buyers must qualify; previous ownership anywhere in the world (including inheritance) disqualifies. The £500,000 cliff edge is brutal — £500,001 means losing the entire relief. Stretching past £500K to grab one more bedroom can cost £7,500 in extra SDLT. Not reclaiming the additional property surcharge. If you bought a new main residence before selling the previous one, you paid the 5% surcharge upfront. You have 36 months from the new purchase to sell the old home, and 12 months from sale to reclaim — many buyers forget this and leave money with HMRC. Misclassifying mixed-use. Calling a property mixed-use because there's a small home office or partly-let outbuilding is risky — HMRC challenges these claims and back tax + penalties can apply. Falling for 'stamp duty mitigation' schemes. Promoters market complex structures promising big SDLT savings; HMRC routinely defeats these in tribunal and you'll owe the avoided tax plus penalties up to 100%. Ignoring linked transactions. Buying two properties from the same seller, or two adjacent properties simultaneously, may be treated as a single linked transaction with the SDLT calculated on the combined price — pushing you into higher bands.