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stamp duty calculator

Stamp Duty Calculator

Plus full Q&A, incl full info on stamp duty holiday up to £500,000

Kit Sproson
Kit Sproson | Edited by Johanna Noble
Updated 20 January 2021

Stamp duty can add £10,000s to a homebuyer's costs, but temporary, coronavirus-related changes across the UK mean many WON'T have to pay it. This guide's got all you need to know about how stamp duty works and when you'll need to pay it, while it also includes a free stamp duty calculator.

Note: We're using stamp duty as a generic term here for ease because that is what so many people refer to it as – we know that it's called something different in Scotland (land and buildings transaction tax) and Wales (land transaction tax).

What is stamp duty?

When you buy a property or land you usually pay tax on it. While often referred to as stamp duty, that's only the name in England and Northern Ireland – it's different in Scotland and Wales, where it's known as 'land and buildings transaction tax' and 'land transaction tax' respectively.

Since 2014, all the home nations have had a progressive stamp duty rate system. This means that instead of paying a single rate on the ENTIRE property price, depending on the cost of the property you're buying you might end up paying one rate on a certain portion of the property and a different rate on another.

Calculate stamp duty

The rate of stamp duty you'll pay depends on where in the UK you're buying a property. England and Northern Ireland have the same rates, while Scotland and Wales use different rate bandings.

This calculator shows how much stamp duty is due on a MAIN RESIDENCE ONLY (excluding buy-to-let and additional properties), based on where you're buying.

Click the relevant tab for where in the UK you're buying.

For the standard rates once the temporary changes end on 31 March 2021, see below for England and Northern Ireland and Scotland and Wales.

Stamp duty – what's changed since coronavirus?

In response to the coronavirus pandemic, there have been some sweeping changes to stamp duty in England and Northern Ireland, land and buildings transaction tax in Scotland, and land transaction tax in Wales. 

Across the UK, the threshold at which you start paying stamp duty (or land and buildings transaction tax/land transaction tax) has increased significantly. In short:

  • In England and Northern Ireland, there is now no stamp duty on the first £500,000 of any primary residential property.
  • In Scotland and Wales, the threshold on a primary residence has increased to £250,000.
  • All of these changes will last until 31 March.

You need to have completed by 31 March to benefit from the stamp duty holiday. If you exchange on or before 31 March, but complete after 31 March, then you'll have missed the deadline and will need to pay the normal rate of stamp duty. This applies in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

How much stamp duty will a first-time buyer now pay?

First-time buyers across the UK will benefit from the stamp duty holiday in the same way as other homebuyers will, as detailed above. 

That means first-time buyers in England and Northern Ireland won't pay stamp duty on the first £500,000 of a main residential property, while in Scotland and Wales no land and buildings transaction tax or land transaction tax is due on the first £250,000 of a property.

From 1 April, first-time buyer stamp duty rates are set to return to their pre-coronavirus thresholds (more on this below).

  • Will these changes to stamp duty affect me if I'm buying an additional property?

    Yes, however you will still have to pay some stamp duty. This is how it works in:

    • England and Northern Ireland. If you're buying an additional property you will also benefit from the changes to stamp duty, however not to the same extent as those buying a main residential property.

      Here you'll pay 3% on top of the standard rate you'd normally be charged (unless the additional property is bought for £40,000 or less, in which case you'll be charged the standard stamp duty rate). For example, for those buying an additional property in England or Northern Ireland, you will now pay 3% on anything up to £500,000, and 8% on the portion above that up to £925,000. 

      Previously the rate was 3% on anything up to £125,000, 5% on anything between £125,001 and £250,000, and 8% on anything between £250,001 and £925,000.
    • Wales and Scotland. The rates and bands for additional property buyers have not changed in Wales and Scotland. In both countries, you pay an extra 4% on any tax band your property falls under. You can see what tax you'll pay for an additional property in these countries using the tables below.

If you're in England or Northern Ireland

In England and Northern Ireland, no stamp duty is due on the first £500,000 of a property (provided it's your main residence, it excludes additional properties).

Here are the stamp duty rates:

Stamp duty in England and Northern Ireland (until 31 March)
PURCHASE PRICE RATE ON MAIN RESIDENCE (1)
 RATE FOR ADDITIONAL PROPERTIES (2)
Up to £500,000 0% 3%
£500,001 – £925,000 5% 8%
£925,001 – £1,500,000 10% 13%
£1,500,001 + 12% 15%
(1) Rate applies to that portion of the purchase price. (2) Additional properties bought for less than £40,000 will be charged the main residence rate of stamp duty.

1. Let's assume you're buying a property for £450,000...

You pay nothing below £500,000.So this means you'll pay no stamp duty at all.

2. Let's assume you're buying a property for £650,000...

You pay nothing below £500,000.
You pay 5% on between £500,000 and £925,000, which is £7,500 on a £650,000 property.
So in total, this means you'll pay £7,500.

People buying an additional property (ie, in addition to any they already own) that costs more than £40,000 are subject to the higher stamp duty rate. So if you bought a second home worth £100,000, you would pay 3% stamp duty on the £100,000 purchase price (see the table above).

  • What will stamp duty be from 1 April ?

    This is what the stamp duty rate in England and Northern Ireland will be from 1 April:

    Stamp duty in England and Northern Ireland (from 1 April)
    PURCHASE PRICE RATE ON MAIN RESIDENCE (1)
    		 RATE FOR ADDITIONAL PROPERTIES (2)
    Up to £125,000 (£300,000 for first-time buyers) 0% 3%
    £125,0001 – £250,000 2% 5%
    £250,001 – £925,000 5% 8%
    £925,001 – £1,500,000 10% 13%
    £1,500,001 + 12% 15%
    (1) Rate applies to that portion of the purchase price. (2) Additional properties bought for less than £40,000 will be charged the main residence rate of stamp duty.

If you're in Scotland

It's not actually called stamp duty in Scotland anymore. A reform brought in by the Scottish Government in April 2015 means it's now referred to as 'land and buildings transaction tax' (LBTT).

However, while the name's changed, the principle hasn't. It's still a lump-sum tax that anyone buying a property or land costing more than a set amount has to pay. And it's a remarkably similar system to the one the rest of the UK uses, the main difference is the thresholds it uses are at different rates.

Like in England and Northern Ireland, the Scottish Government has increased the threshold at which you start paying land and buildings transaction tax because of coronavirus – a change that will last until 31 March. Here's an example of how the temporary Scottish system works, for a property priced priced at £400,000.

You pay nothing below £250,000.
You pay 5% on between £250,001 and £325,000, which is £3,750.
You pay 10% on between £325,001 and £400,000, which is £7,500.

So in total, this means you'll pay £11,250 (£0 + £3,750 + £7,500).

If you're a first-time buyer, these same rules and rates also apply.

Land & buildings transaction tax rate (until 31 March)
PURCHASE PRICE RATE ON MAIN RESIDENCE
 RATE FOR ADDITIONAL PROPERTIES (1)
Up to £250,000 0% 4% (but 6% between £145,001 and £250,000)
£250,001 – £325,000 5% 9%
£325,001 – £750,000 10% 14%
£750,001 + 12% 16%
(1) Additional properties bought for less than £40,000 will be charged the main residence rate of stamp duty.

  • What will the land and buildings transaction tax be from 1 April?

    This is what the land and buildings transaction tax rate in Scotland will be from 1 April:

    Land & buildings transaction tax rate (from 1 April)
    PURCHASE PRICE RATE ON MAIN RESIDENCE
    		 RATE FOR ADDITIONAL PROPERTIES (1)
    Up to £145,000 (£175,000 for first-time buyers) 0% 4%
    £145,001 – £250,000 2% 6%
    £250,001 – £325,000 5% 9%
    £325,001 – £750,000 10% 14%
    £750,001 + 12% 16%
    (1) Additional properties bought for less than £40,000 will be charged the main residence rate of stamp duty.

If you're in Wales

The Welsh Revenue Authority (WRA) is responsible for collecting and managing land transaction tax (LTT) in Wales.

LTT works similarly to the old stamp duty system, but the Welsh Government has set the thresholds for the tax bands at different rates.

Similar to England, Northern Ireland and Scotland, the threshold at which you start paying land transaction tax has temporarily increased in response to coronavirus, so until 31 March you won't pay any on the first £250,000 of a main residential property.

Land transaction tax rate (until 31 March)
PURCHASE PRICE RATE ON MAIN RESIDENCE
 RATE FOR ADDITIONAL PROPERTIES
Up to £250,000 0% 4% (but 7.5% between £180,001 and £250,000)
£250,001 – £400,000 5% 9%
£400,001 – £750,000 7.5% 11.5%
£750,001 – £1,500,000 10% 14%
£1,500,001 + 12% 16%

Here's an example of how the Welsh system will work until April, for a single residential property priced at £300,000 and filed at main rates.

You pay nothing below £250,000.
You pay 5% on between £250,001 and £300,000, which is £2,500.

So in total, this means you'll pay £2,500 (£0 + £2,500).

  • What will land transaction tax be from 1 April?

    This is what the land transaction tax rate in Wales will be from 1 April:

    Land transaction tax rate (from 1 April)
    PURCHASE PRICE RATE ON MAIN RESIDENCE
    		 RATE FOR ADDITIONAL PROPERTIES
    Up to £180,000 0% 4%
    £180,001 – £250,000 3.5% 7.5%
    £250,001 – £400,000 5% 9%
    £400,001 – £750,000 7.5% 11.5%
    £750,001 – £1,500,000 10% 14%
    £1,500,001 + 12% 16%

How and when do I pay stamp duty?

when to pay stamp duty

The crucial thing to know is that, if you're buying in England or Northern Ireland, you have 14 days from the date of completion/date of entry (when all the contracts are signed and dated and you get the keys – read our Buying a Home guide for a full timeline) to pay stamp duty or transaction tax. Take longer, and you could face a fine and possibly interest on top, so don't!

Buyers used to have 30 days to pay stamp duty, but new legislation reducing this to 14 came into effect in March 2019.

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 do I pay stamp duty in England and Northern Ireland?

    In case your solicitor doesn't do this for you, here's what you need to do...

    • 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 phone banking?

      Just as you might move money to a pal's account, you can transfer the money online or by phone using HM Revenue & Customs' 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 phone banking set up, you can pay by debit card (but not credit card), by cheque or cash in most banks, and by cheque in post office branches or by post – though the last two options will require you to present a payslip.

  • How do I pay land and buildings transaction tax in Scotland?

    The process is similar to that in England and Northern Ireland, and again your solicitor is likely to do this for you. However, unlike in the rest of the UK, you're not paying HM Revenue & Customs, you need to pay Revenue Scotland instead, and you have 30 days to pay up, as opposed to 14.

    If your solicitor doesn't do this for you, here's how you can do it yourself...

    • Submit an online return registering the transaction

      You'll need to go to Revenue Scotland's site to do this. Because of coronavirus, it's not currently possible to submit a paper return.

    • Find your transaction reference

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

    • Pay online or by phone banking

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

    • Other ways to pay

      Because of coronavirus, Revenue Scotland is not currently accepting post, including cheques, so you'll need to pay your LBTT using one of the methods described above.

  • How do I pay land transaction tax in Wales?

    In Wales, land transaction tax is paid to the Welsh Revenue Authority. This is payable within 30 days of you completing on your property.

    If you have a solicitor, they'll usually file your return and pay the tax on your behalf if you ask them to and add the amount to the sum you pay them. 

    If you need to pay land transaction tax yourself, here's how to do it.

    • First you need to submit a return registering the transaction

    You'll need to go to the Welsh Revenue Authority's (WRA) site and submit a paper tax return registering the transaction. Even though it's referred to as a 'paper' return, you can actually submit it online – and since the coronavirus pandemic started it's been recommended that you submit it this way (rather than via post).

    • Find your unique transaction reference number (UTRN)

    After you've submitted your paper 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".

    • Pay online

    Just as you might move money to a pal's account, you can transfer the money online or by phone 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.

    • Pay by cheque

    The WRA is not currently accepting payments via cheque because of coronavirus, so you should pay your land transaction tax via one of the methods described above.

Can I add stamp duty to my 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, 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 £185,000 (in England, Wales or Northern Ireland), 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 £5,000 borrowing will cost around £8,500 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.

Ready to get a mortgage? We've lots more guides, tools & tips to help…

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