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Stamp Duty Calculator

Use our guide to work out how much you'll need to pay

Kit Sproson
Kit Sproson | Edited by Ben Slater
Updated 23 September 2024

Stamp duty is a tax that's charged when you buy a property in the UK, but you'll only need to pay it if the price of that property reaches a certain threshold. Our stamp duty calculator below shows you just how much you'll need to pay. Plus, read our full guide for exactly how stamp duty works in different parts of the UK and when you need to pay it by.

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In this guide

What is stamp duty?

When you buy property or land, you usually pay tax on it. This is called stamp duty land tax in England and Northern Ireland, land and buildings transaction tax in Scotland and land transaction tax in Wales (though we'll use the generic term 'stamp duty' throughout this guide). 

While there are different names for it, each UK nation operates a similar, progressive system of stamp duty. This means that instead of paying a single rate on an ENTIRE property purchase price, you might end up paying one rate on a certain portion of the property and a different rate on another.

Nevertheless, stamp duty can still be a significant sum. In 2023, the average stamp duty bill for homebuyers in England and Northern Ireland was around £10,000, amounting to £11.5 billion spent on stamp duty overall, according to Coventry Building Society.

Below we explain exactly how stamp duty works. Plus, we've got a calculator to show how much stamp duty you'll need to pay.

Stamp duty rates

Here's how the thresholds and rates differ across the UK nations.

England and Northern Ireland

In England and Northern Ireland, no stamp duty is due on the first £250,000 of a main residential property – though that threshold is £425,000 if you're a first-time buyer.

Here are the stamp duty rates you'll pay on a main residential property:

Stamp duty rates (England & Northern Ireland)

PURCHASE PRICE MAIN RESIDENCE (1)
 SECOND HOME / ADDITIONAL PROPERTY (2)
Up to £250,000 (£425,000 for first-time buyers) (3) 0% 3%
£250,001 – £925,000 5% 8%
£925,001 – £1,500,000 10% 13%
£1,500,001 + 12% 15%
(1) Rate applies to relevant portion of the purchase price. (2) This higher rate / surcharge does not apply if an additional property is bought for less than £40,000. (3) The £425,000 first-time buyer stamp duty threshold does not apply if the property you are buying costs more than £625,000 – if it does, the £250,000 threshold applies.

Quick question:

  • What is the stamp duty rate for non-UK residents?

    Some people buying a property in England and Northern Ireland have to pay a higher rate of stamp duty because they are considered 'non-residents' of the UK.

    Non-resident status will apply if you do not spend at least 183 days anywhere in the UK (which can include Scotland, Wales) during the 12 months prior to purchasing the property. Do note that the rules are more complex if you're married.

    Where you have to pay the non-resident rate of stamp duty, it'll be equivalent to an extra two percentage points on top of normal stamp duty rates. For example, a non-resident first-time buyer purchasing a property for £500,000 would pay:

    • 2% stamp duty (rather than 0%) on the property price up to £425,000.
    • 7% stamp duty (rather than 5%) on the property price between £425,000 and £500,000.

    For more information on how non-resident status works in relation to stamp duty, see the Gov.uk website.

Scotland

The main difference between stamp duty in Scotland and England / Northern Ireland is the thresholds and rates that are used – though, like in England and Northern Ireland, the Scottish system has extra relief for first-time buyers, 

Here are the stamp duty rates you'll pay on a main residential property:

Land & buildings transaction tax rates (Scotland)

PURCHASE PRICE MAIN RESIDENCE (1)
 SECOND HOME / ADDITIONAL PROPERTY (2)
Up to £145,000 (£175,000 for first-time buyers) 0% 6%
£145,001 – £250,000 2% 8%
£250,001 – £325,000 5% 11%
£325,001 – £750,000 10% 16%
£750,001 + 12% 18%
(1) Rate applies to relevant portion of the purchase price. (2) This higher rate / surcharge does not apply if an additional property is bought for less than £40,000.

Wales

In Wales, the stamp duty thresholds and rates are different to those in England, Northern Ireland and Scotland. Unlike the other countries, there is no extra relief for first-time buyers.

Here are the rates you'll need to pay:

Land transaction tax rates (Wales)

PURCHASE PRICE MAIN RESIDENCE (1)
 SECOND HOME / ADDITIONAL PROPERTY
Up to £225,000 0%

4% (on the portion up to £180,000)
 

7.5% (on the portion between £180,001 and £250,000)
£225,001 – £400,000 6% 9%
£400,001 – £750,000 7.5% 11.5%
£750,001 – £1,500,000 10% 14%
£1,500,001 + 12% 16%

(1) Rate applies to relevant portion of the purchase price. 

Stamp duty for first-time buyers

It can be confusing to work out exactly how much stamp duty a first-time buyer needs to pay with the extra 'relief' available in England, Northern Ireland and Scotland.

Tick the first-time buyer box in our stamp duty calculator above to see how much you'll have to pay. Crucially, though, please note that...

For the purposes of stamp duty, you WON'T be considered a first-time buyer if you've ever owned, or part-owned, a property in the UK or abroad. This includes if you've ever inherited a property – even if you sold it straightaway and never lived in it.

England and Northern Ireland

First-time buyers don't pay stamp duty on the first £425,000 of a main residential property (provided the property you're buying costs £625,000 or less).

Wales 

First-time buyers pay don't pay land transaction tax on the first £225,000 of a property (this applies to all buyers of a main residential property).

Scotland

First-time buyers don't pay land and buildings transaction tax on the first £175,000 of a property.

Buy-to-let and second home stamp duty

Where you buy a property in addition to one you already own, such as a second home (or third, fourth, etc), you'll need to pay a higher rate of stamp duty:

  • In England and Northern Ireland the higher rate of stamp duty is equivalent to an extra three percentage points on top of standard rates.

    For example, if you were buying a second home for £300,000, you would pay £11,500 in stamp duty, whereas if it was your only property (and you weren't a first-time buyer), you'd only pay £2,500.

  • In Scotland it's equivalent to an extra six percentage points.

    So, on a second property worth £300,000, you'd pay £22,600. That compares to £4,600 if the house you were buying was your only property (and you weren't a first-time buyer).
  • In Wales it's equivalent to an extra four percentage points.

    So, on a second property worth £300,000, you'd pay £16,950 in stamp duty. That compares to £4,500 if the house you were buying was your only property.

This higher rate also applies if you're buying an additional property with the intention of renting it out (known as buy-to-let). However, if you're a first-time buyer intending to rent your property out as a buy-to-let then you won't need to pay the higher rate – though you won't qualify for first-time buyer stamp duty relief either.

When must I pay stamp duty?

In England or Northern Ireland, you have 14 days from the date of completion/date of entry to pay any stamp duty due (date of completion is when all the contracts are signed and dated and you get the keys – read our Buying a home guide for a full timeline).

In Scotland and Wales, you have 30 days from this point.

Take longer, and you could face a fine and possibly interest on top, so don't.

In reality, your solicitor will probably sort this out and push you to pay the bill straightaway – in fact, most tend to want their cash before completing the property purchase for you, just in case you then can't or don't pay them.

However, it's legally your responsibility to ensure your stamp duty/transaction tax is paid. If you are doing this yourself, click the questions to see the process.

  • How to pay stamp duty in England and Northern Ireland

    In England and Northern Ireland, stamp duty is paid to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC). Where your solicitor doesn't do this for you, here's what you need to do...

    • Submit a return registering the transaction. You'll need to go to Gov.uk to do this.

    • Find your unique transaction reference number (UTRN). It's 11 characters long and found on your submission receipt if you have filed online, or on your paper stamp duty return.

    • Pay online or by mobile banking. Just as you might move money to a pal's account, you can transfer the money online or by mobile banking using HMRC's bank details. Bacs payments normally take three working days, so take this into account and don't miss the deadline, while CHAPS payments usually arrive on the same working day.

    • Other ways to pay. If you don't have online or mobile banking, you can pay by debit card (but not credit card), cheque or cash in most banks, or by cheque via the post.

  • How to pay land and buildings transaction tax in Scotland

    Land and buildings transaction tax is paid to Revenue Scotland. If your solicitor doesn't do this for you, here's what you need to do...

    • Submit an online return registering the transaction. You'll need to go to Revenue Scotland's site to do this. 

    • Find your transaction reference. It's 13 characters long, beginning with 'RS'. You can find it on the receipt for your online return.

    • Bank transfer. Just as you might move money to a pal's account, you can transfer the money online or by mobile banking using Revenue Scotland's bank details. You can use Faster Payments, Bacs or CHAPS. Remember, if you're using Bacs, the transfer could take three working days, so don't miss your payment date.

  • How to pay land transaction tax in Wales

    In Wales, land transaction tax is paid to the Welsh Revenue Authority (WRA). If your solicitor doesn't do this for you, here's what you need to do...

    • First you need to submit a return registering the transaction. You'll need to go to the WRA website and submit a tax return registering the transaction. This has to be done via post.
    • Find your unique transaction reference number (UTRN). After you've submitted your return, you will not be given a UTRN immediately. It will be sent to you once your return has been processed by the WRA. If you've not got enough time to wait for your UTRN to be issued, you can instead use the following payment reference number:

      "Postcode of land \ surname of buyer". For example: "CF379EH \ Bloggs".
    • Bank transfer . Just as you might move money to a pal's account, you can transfer the money online or via mobile banking using the WRA's bank details. You can use Faster Payments, Bacs or CHAPS. Remember to include the reference (as explained above) in the payment reference section. If using BACS, the WRA must have your payment four working days before the payment due date, so that it can be processed.

Adding stamp duty to a mortgage

The simple answer here is that it's best that you don't, but many people find that they have to.

To add the cost of stamp duty to your loan means a bigger mortgage debt. So, in England and Northern Ireland, say you needed a £180,000 mortgage to purchase a house costing £300,000 but wanted to add the stamp duty, you'd need to request borrowing of £182,500, then use your 'extra' deposit money to pay the stamp duty.

There are two main things to consider here. Firstly, as mortgages tend to be taken out over a long term (25 years or more), that's normally how long the stamp duty borrowing will last too. Over a 25-year term at a rate of 5%, that extra £2,500 borrowing will cost about £6,000 in interest, so it's vital to be aware of the cost.

Secondly, this could affect your loan-to-value ratio (LTV) – the measure of how much of a property's value you are borrowing. The most competitive deals require a maximum LTV of 60% – yet in the example above, adding the stamp duty would push you from 60% to almost 62%, so be careful – speak to a mortgage broker to see if it's the right decision.

Looking for more mortgage help? We've lots more guides…

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