Stamp Duty Calculator
Use our guide to work out how much you'll need to pay
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.
What is stamp duty?
When you buy property or land, you usually pay tax on it. This is called stamp duty land tax (sdlt) 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' rather than sdlt 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 sdlt 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 sdlt 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 until 31 March 2025:
PURCHASE PRICE | MAIN RESIDENCE (1) |
SECOND HOME / ADDITIONAL PROPERTY (2) |
---|---|---|
Up to £250,000 (£425,000 for first-time buyers) (3) | 0% | 5% |
£250,001 – £925,000 | 5% | 10% |
£925,001 – £1,500,000 | 10% | 15% |
£1,500,001 + | 12% | 17% |
(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. |
From 1 April 2025, the stamp duty rates in England and Northern Ireland will be changing to:
PURCHASE PRICE | MAIN RESIDENCE (1) |
SECOND HOME / ADDITIONAL PROPERTY (2) |
---|---|---|
Up to £125,000 (£300,000 for first-time buyers) (3) | 0% | 5% |
£125,001 – £250,000 | 2% | 7% |
£250,001 – £925,000 | 5% | 10% |
£925,001 – £1,500,000 | 10% | 15% |
£1,500,001 + | 12% | 17% |
(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 £300,000 first-time buyer stamp duty threshold does not apply if the property you are buying costs more than £500,000 – if it does, the £125,000 threshold applies. |
Watch the video below, where MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis explains in more detail what's happening to stamp duty in England and Northern Ireland from 1 April 2025 following Chancellor Rachel Reeves' Autumn 2024 budget.
This clip has been taken from The Martin Lewis Money Show Live on Thursday 31 October 2024, with the permission of ITV Studios. All rights reserved. Full episode on the ITVX Hub.
Quick question:
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:
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. |
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% |
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) – though these thresholds will reduce on 1 April 2025.
From that date on, first-time buyers won't pay stamp duty on the first £300,000 of a main residential property, provided the property costs £500,000 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 to your new home – 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 (also known as a conveyancer) 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.
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…
- Mortgage best buys. Compare mortgage rates.
- First-time buyers' guide. Download our free 53-page PDF.
- Buying a new-build home? What to look out for.
- Joint mortgages & separation. What happens if you and your partner split.
- Joint tenants versus tenants in common. What's the difference?
Tip Email
FREE weekly MoneySaving email
For all the latest deals, guides and loopholes simply sign up today - it’s spam free!
Have your say in our forum!
Spotted out of date info/broken links? Email: brokenlink@moneysavingexpert.com
Clever ways to calculate your finances