How Much Is Stamp Duty? SDLT, LBTT and LTT Explained

How much stamp duty you pay depends on the price, where the property is and whether you already own a home. In England and Northern Ireland, a £295,000 home costs £4,750 in Stamp Duty Land Tax for a typical home mover, and nothing for a first-time buyer. Scotland and Wales charge their own taxes with different bands.

Stamp duty is charged in slices, like income tax, so moving into a higher band only affects the part of the price above that threshold. This guide sets out the current bands for each nation, explains first-time buyer relief and the surcharges for additional homes, and works through examples you can check against your own purchase.

Our free stamp duty calculator does all of this for England and Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, including first-time buyer and additional property rates.

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Which tax applies where

GOV.UK confirms that Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) applies in England and Northern Ireland. Scotland has Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT), run by Revenue Scotland. Wales has Land Transaction Tax (LTT), run by the Welsh Revenue Authority, for completions on or after 1 April 2018.

How much is stamp duty in England and Northern Ireland?

These are the residential SDLT rates from GOV.UK's residential property rates page, which have applied since 1 April 2025:

Worked example: £295,000 home mover

This is GOV.UK's own example:

• 0% on the first £125,000 = £0
• 2% on the next £125,000 = £2,500
• 5% on the final £45,000 = £2,250
• Total SDLT: £4,750

Worked example: £600,000 home mover

• 0% on the first £125,000 = £0
• 2% on the next £125,000 = £2,500
• 5% on the remaining £350,000 = £17,500
• Total SDLT: £20,000

First-time buyer relief

If you and anyone you're buying with have never owned a home anywhere in the world, and you'll live in the property, GOV.UK says you pay:

• 0% on the portion up to £300,000
• 5% on the portion from £300,001 to £500,000
• No relief at all if the price is over £500,000. You pay the standard rates on the whole price.

So a first-time buyer pays nothing on a £295,000 flat, £5,000 on a £400,000 home, and £10,000 on a £500,000 home (GOV.UK's example). At £500,001, relief disappears completely and the bill jumps to the standard £15,000. That cliff edge is worth knowing before you make an offer just above £500,000.

Additional properties: the 5% surcharge

GOV.UK says you usually pay 5% on top of the standard rates if the purchase means you'll own more than one residential property. This covers buy-to-let and second homes. The surcharge doesn't apply if you're replacing your main home and sell your previous main home within 36 months, and a refund may be available if you sell your old home later within that window.

Worked example: £295,000 buy-to-let.

That's £14,750 more than a home mover pays on the same property.

Non-UK residents

A further 2% surcharge applies to residential purchases in England and Northern Ireland if you weren't present in the UK for at least 183 days in the 12 months before buying. GOV.UK notes it applies on top of other rates, including the additional property surcharge.

Deadline

You must file an SDLT return and pay the tax within 14 days of completion, according to GOV.UK. In practice your solicitor or conveyancer usually does this for you and asks for the money before completion.

Stamp duty in Scotland: LBTT

Revenue Scotland's residential rates are:

First-time buyer relief raises the nil-rate band to £175,000, saving up to £600.

Additional Dwelling Supplement (ADS) is 8% of the whole purchase price for transactions on or after 5 December 2024, according to Revenue Scotland's ADS guidance.

Worked examples for a £295,000 home in Scotland:

• Home mover: 0% on £145,000, 2% on £105,000 (£2,100), 5% on £45,000 (£2,250) = £4,350
• First-time buyer: 0% on £175,000, 2% on £75,000 (£1,500), 5% on £45,000 (£2,250) = £3,750
• Buy-to-let: £4,350 LBTT plus 8% ADS on £295,000 (£23,600) = £27,950

Notice how much bigger the Scottish surcharge is on an additional home than the English one.

Stamp duty in Wales: LTT

The Welsh Government's LTT rates page gives the main residential rates (in force since 10 October 2022):

There is no first-time buyer relief in Wales. The Welsh Government's LTT overview says so directly. Instead, the higher nil-rate band applies to every buyer of a main home.

Higher residential rates apply if you already own a residential property (and to companies), since 11 December 2024:

Worked examples for a £295,000 home in Wales:

• Main home (any buyer): 0% on £225,000, 6% on £70,000 = £4,200
• Additional property: 5% on £180,000 (£9,000), 8.5% on £70,000 (£5,950), 10% on £45,000 (£4,500) = £19,450

Side-by-side: £295,000 across the UK

Budgeting for stamp duty

A short checklist before you offer:

1. Confirm which tax applies by the property's location, not where you live now.
2. Check whether you're a first-time buyer for tax purposes. If a joint buyer has ever owned a home, relief usually doesn't apply.
3. Check whether you'll own more than one home on completion, including property abroad and inherited shares.
4. Watch the cliff edges, such as the £500,000 first-time buyer limit in England and Northern Ireland.
5. Add the tax to your deposit budget. Lenders don't usually lend extra to cover it.
6. Ask your conveyancer to confirm the figure. Reliefs and exemptions have conditions this guide can't cover.

Stamp duty is one part of the cost of buying. Our guide to how mortgage repayments are calculated covers the monthly side, and the mortgage calculator shows what different deposits and rates mean in practice. If you're saving for a deposit, compound interest explained shows how your savings grow.

For estate agents, Make It Flow builds automations that send buyers the right tax information for the right nation and keep conveyancing updates moving. See our page for estate agents, or our free tools for real estate.

FAQ

How much is stamp duty on a £300,000 house?

In England or Northern Ireland, a home mover pays £5,000: nothing on the first £125,000, £2,500 on the next £125,000 and £2,500 on the last £50,000. A first-time buyer pays nothing. In Scotland a home mover pays £4,600 in LBTT, and in Wales any main home buyer pays £4,500 in LTT.

Do first-time buyers pay stamp duty?

In England and Northern Ireland, first-time buyers pay nothing up to £300,000 and 5% on the portion between £300,001 and £500,000. Above £500,000 there's no relief. In Scotland, relief raises the nil-rate band to £175,000. Wales has no first-time buyer relief, but its £225,000 nil-rate band applies to everyone.

What is the stamp duty surcharge on second homes?

In England and Northern Ireland, buyers who will own more than one residential property usually pay 5% on top of the standard SDLT rates. Scotland charges an 8% Additional Dwelling Supplement on the whole price. Wales uses separate higher residential rates starting at 5% on the first £180,000.

When do I have to pay stamp duty?

For SDLT in England and Northern Ireland, the return must be filed and the tax paid within 14 days of completion. Your conveyancer normally handles this and asks you for the funds beforehand. Scotland and Wales have their own filing rules, which your solicitor will follow.

Can I get stamp duty back if I sell my old home later?

In England and Northern Ireland, if you paid the 5% surcharge because you hadn't sold your previous main home, you may be able to claim a refund if you sell it within 36 months. Conditions apply, so check GOV.UK or ask your conveyancer. Scotland and Wales have similar but separate refund rules.

Is stamp duty charged on the whole price?

Standard SDLT, LBTT and LTT are charged in slices, so each rate only applies to the part of the price within that band. The exceptions are Scotland's ADS, which is a flat 8% of the whole price, and the loss of first-time buyer relief in England above £500,000, after which standard rates apply to the full price.