United Kingdom · 2025/26
United Kingdom Stamp duty calculator
Work out the stamp duty (SDLT) on a home in England or Northern Ireland.
England and Northern Ireland residential rates for 2025/26.
Stamp Duty Land Tax is charged on the price you pay for a property, worked out in slices rather than as one flat rate, which is why two buyers at similar prices can owe very different amounts once relief or a surcharge applies. Choose whether you are moving home, buying your first home, or buying an additional property, and the calculator returns the tax, the effective rate as a share of the price, and the total cash you need on completion. It is the figure to settle before you make an offer, since the tax is due shortly after the purchase and is rarely something a mortgage will cover.
How it works
- Enter the property price you have agreed or are considering.
- Pick your buyer type. First-time buyers pay nothing up to 300,000 on homes worth up to 500,000. An additional property adds a 5 percent surcharge in every band.
- The tax is worked out band by band, so only the part of the price that falls in each band is charged at that band rate, not the whole price at a single rate.
- The bands stack, so a higher rate only ever applies to the slice of price above its threshold, and the calculator adds those slices together for the total.
- Dividing that total by the price gives the effective rate, which is a truer sense of the burden than any single band figure.
Worked example
A 295,000 home for someone moving home, at standard rates: 2 percent on the slice from 125,000 to 250,000, plus 5 percent on the rest, which is 4,750 of stamp duty.
Key facts
- SDLT is charged in slices, so each rate applies only to the part of the price inside its band.
- First-time buyer relief only helps up to a purchase price of 500,000; above that, standard rates apply.
- The additional property surcharge stacks 5 percent onto every band, not just the top one.
- The tax falls due soon after completion and normally has to be found in cash rather than borrowed.
Tips
- Settle your stamp duty figure before you make an offer, so the cash need is part of the budget from the start.
- If you are a first-time buyer near 500,000, remember the relief drops away entirely above that price.
- Where a purchase would replace your only main home, check whether the additional property surcharge really applies before assuming it.
- Read the effective rate to compare the true cost of two homes at different prices, rather than the top band alone.
Frequently asked questions
Do first-time buyers always pay less?+
Only up to a point. First-time buyer relief gives a nil rate up to 300,000 and 5 percent from 300,000 to 500,000. Above a 500,000 purchase price the relief no longer applies and standard rates are used.
What is the additional property surcharge?+
If you buy a second home or a buy-to-let that does not replace your main residence, a surcharge of 5 percent is added on top of the standard rate in every band.
Does this cover Scotland and Wales?+
No. England and Northern Ireland use SDLT. Scotland uses Land and Buildings Transaction Tax, and Wales uses Land Transaction Tax, each with its own bands.
When is the tax due and can I add it to my mortgage?+
Stamp duty is payable to HMRC shortly after completion and is not usually lent as part of a mortgage, so most buyers need it as cash on top of the deposit. Budget for it early rather than at the last moment.
Why does buying just over a band threshold matter?+
Because the bands are marginal, only the slice above a threshold is charged at the higher rate, so crossing a threshold adds tax on that slice alone rather than re-rating the whole price. The jump is smaller than it first looks.
Sources
Last updated: 2026 · Applies to 2025/26
This is an estimate for general guidance, not financial, tax, legal or medical advice. Figures can change and individual circumstances vary. Always confirm with the official sources listed before making decisions.
- England and Northern Ireland residential rates for 2025/26. Confirm the current rates on GOV.UK before relying on them.
Built and maintained by Vikas Dulgunde. Editorial standards.