Stamp duty calculator

Stamp duty land tax, known as stamp duty, is a tax you pay when you buy property or land over a certain price point in England and Northern Ireland.

You pay stamp duty when you buy a:

• freehold property

• new or existing leasehold

• property through Shared Ownership

You also pay the tax when you are transferred property or land in exchange for payment. This might be if you buy a stake in it or take on a mortgage for it, for example.

Use our stamp duty calculator to work out what you'll pay on your next home.

There are similar taxes in place in Scotland and Wales. In Scotland, you pay Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT). And in Wales, you pay Land Transaction Tax (LTT).

The amount of stamp duty you pay when you buy a house or flat depends on a number of factors, including:

• the purchase price 

• the property type, such as whether it’s a main home or an additional home

• if you’re eligible for tax relief or not. You can get stamp duty relief if you and anyone else you buy with are first-time buyers

You pay stamp duty on increasing slices of the purchase price. So, the more expensive the property, the higher your tax bill is likely to be.

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Buyers are currently benefitting from a 'stamp duty holiday', which was introduced by the government during the pandemic. This means that stamp duty only starts to apply when you buy a residential property that costs £250,001 or more.

If you're a first-time buyer, the tax doesn't kick in until you buy a property worth £425,001 or more (as long as it's worth £625,000 or less).

If the property is worth more than £625,000, you lose the first-time buyer rate and start paying stamp duty on the value over £250,000.

However, on 1 April 2025, the stamp duty thresholds are set to drop back down to pre-pandemic levels. Here’s what this could mean for you.

• You don't pay any stamp duty up to £425,000

• If the purchase price is between £425,001 and £625,000, you pay 5% on the amount that's over £425,000

• But if you buy a property that costs more than £625,000, you pay the normal stamp duty rates like everyone else

Let’s use an example to bring this to life.

You buy your first home for £500,000. The stamp duty would be calculated as:

0% on the first £425,000 = £0

5% on the last £75,000 = £3,750

So, your total stamp duty bill would be £3,750

• You won't pay any stamp duty up to £300,000

• If the purchase price is between £300,001 and £500,000, you’ll pay 5% on the amount that's over £300,000

• But if you buy a home for more than £500,000, you won’t be able to claim first-time buyer relief

Here’s an example: 

You buy your first home for £500,000. The stamp duty would be calculated as:

0% on the first £300,000 = £0

5% on the remaining £200,000 = £10,000

Your total stamp duty bill would be £10,000

For all other buyers, the following stamp duty rates apply if the home you buy is the only residential property you own.

• There’s no stamp duty up to £250,000

• For homes costing between £250,001 and £925,000, you pay 5% on the portion over £250,000

• For homes costing between £925,001 and £1.5m, you pay 10% on the portion over £925,000

• And for homes costing over £1.5m, you pay 12% on the portion over £1.5m

Here’s another example.

If you buy a house or flat for £295,000, the stamp duty bill would be calculated like this:

0% on the first £250,000 = 0%

5% on the last £45,000 = £2,250

Your total stamp duty bill would be £2,250

• You won’t pay any stamp duty up to £125,000

• For homes costing between £125,001 and £250,000, you’ll pay 2% on the portion over £125,000

• For homes costing between £250,001 and £925,000, you’ll pay 5% on the portion over £250,000

• For homes costing between £925,001 and £1.5m, you’ll pay 10% on the portion over £925,000

• And for homes costing over £1.5m, you’ll pay 12% on the portion over £1.5m

Here’s an example. 

You buy a home for £295,000. The stamp duty calculation would look like this:

0% on the first £125,000 = £0

2% on the second £125,000 = £2,500

5% on the final £45,000 = £2,250

Your total stamp duty bill would be £4,750

If you buy a second home or additional property, you pay 5% on top of the standard stamp duty rates. This comes after the government raised stamp duty on additional homes from 3% to 5% overnight in its Autumn Budget on 30 October, 2024.

Bear in mind that you’ll incur the surcharge if you buy another property as your main home before you complete the sale of your existing one. But you can claim a refund if you complete the sale within 36 months of buying the new property. 

There’s lots more detail about the stamp duty surcharge in our dedicated guide.

• For homes costing up to £250,000, you pay 5%.

• For homes costing between £250,001 and £925,000, you pay 10% on the portion over £250,000.

• For homes costing between £925,001 and £1.5m, you pay 15% on the portion over £925,000.

• And for homes costing over £1.5m, you pay 17% on the portion over £1.5m.

Let’s look at an example:

If you buy a second home for £300,000, the stamp duty would be charged like this:

5% on the first £250,000 = £12,500

10% on the last £50,000 = £5,000

So, the grand total comes to £17,500

• For property that’s up to £125,000, you’ll pay 5%

• For homes costing between £125,001 and £250,000, you’ll pay 7% on the portion over £125,000

• For homes costing between £250,001 and £925,000, you’ll pay 10% on the portion over £250,000

• For homes costing between £925,001 and £1.5m, you’ll pay 15% on the portion over £925,000

• And for homes costing over £1.5m, you’ll pay 17% on the portion over £1.5m

Yes. Non-UK residents pay a 2% surcharge on top of all other stamp duty rates when buying property in England and Northern Ireland. 

Yes, you could avoid paying stamp duty if the price tag of the home you buy falls within the tax-free band. 

There are other ways that you could potentially avoid paying stamp duty. These include if you:

• transfer an interest in a property as part of a divorce settlement or civil partnership dissolution

• receive a property through a will

• receive a property as a gift (as long as there’s no outstanding mortgage on it).

Stamp duty must be paid within 14 days of the date you complete your property purchase (this is when ownership legally transfers to you). Usually, this part of the process is handled by your solicitor or conveyancer. 

You have to pay a fixed penalty if you don’t file your return by the filing date. That's within 14 days of completing your property purchase.

The penalty depends on how late you file your return. You pay a fixed penalty of:

• £100 if you file your return up to three months late

• £200 if you file your return more than three months late

• And if you file your return more than 12 months late, you pay a fixed penalty plus a tax-based penalty, which can be anything up to the full amount of the tax due. Ouch.

Yes. If you could not file your return by the deadline because of an unusual event that was either unforeseeable or beyond your control, you can appeal.

Yes, but both Scotland and Wales have their own versions of stamp duty.

In Scotland, the tax is called the Land and Buildings Transaction Tax. 

In Wales, it’s called a Land Transaction Tax.

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