How much stamp duty will I pay in 2026?

Standard residential SDLT in 2026 (England and Northern Ireland) is 0% up to £125,000, 2% on £125,001 to £250,000, 5% on £250,001 to £925,000, 10% on £925,001 to £1.5m and 12% above. On a £350,000 home a non-first-time buyer pays £7,500. First-time buyers pay nothing up to £300,000 on a property priced up to £500,000.

Do first-time buyers pay stamp duty?

First-time buyers pay no SDLT on the first £300,000 of a purchase priced at £500,000 or less. The slice from £300,001 to £500,000 is charged at 5%. If the property costs more than £500,000 the relief is withdrawn entirely and standard rates apply from the £125,000 threshold.

What is the SDLT surcharge on a second home?

A 5% surcharge is added to every band when you buy an additional residential property. The surcharge was raised from 3% to 5% on 31 October 2024. Non-UK residents pay an additional 2% on top, so a non-resident additional purchase can attract up to 19% on the top slice.

When do I have to pay stamp duty?

SDLT must be paid and the SDLT1 return filed within 14 days of completion. Your conveyancer normally handles both on your behalf, deducting the tax from completion monies. Late filing triggers an automatic £100 penalty, rising sharply after three months, plus interest on unpaid tax.

How is stamp duty different in Scotland and Wales?

Scotland charges Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT) instead of SDLT, with a different banding structure starting at £145,000. Wales charges Land Transaction Tax (LTT), with a residential nil-rate band up to £225,000. SDLT applies in England and Northern Ireland only.

UK Stamp Duty Calculator 2026: How Much SDLT Will You Pay?

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Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) is the tax you pay when you buy residential property in England or Northern Ireland above £125,000. It is calculated in slices, paid on completion, and filed within 14 days. For most home movers it is the single largest moving cost. This guide covers the 2026 rates, the worked maths, when SDLT is due, and how it differs from the equivalent taxes in Scotland and Wales. The official rate tables sit on the GOV.UK SDLT page.

SDLT rates 2026 — England and Northern Ireland

SDLT is charged on a banded basis. You pay the rate shown only on the slice of the price that falls in each band, not on the whole price. The thresholds in force from 1 April 2025 onwards are:

Standard residential — home movers

Price band	Rate
Up to £125,000	0%
£125,001 to £250,000	2%
£250,001 to £925,000	5%
£925,001 to £1,500,000	10%
Above £1,500,000	12%

First-time buyer relief

First-time buyers pay nothing on the first £300,000, then 5% on the slice from £300,001 to £500,000. Above £500,000 the relief is withdrawn and standard rates apply. To qualify, every buyer on the title must have never previously owned a residential interest anywhere in the world, and the property must be the buyer's only or main residence.

Price band	Rate (FTB)
Up to £300,000	0%
£300,001 to £500,000	5%
Above £500,000	FTB relief withdrawn — standard rates

Additional property surcharge

If you already own a residential property anywhere in the world and you buy another, a 5% surcharge applies to every band. The surcharge rose from 3% to 5% on 31 October 2024 and applies to second homes, holiday homes, and buy-to-let purchases above £40,000. If you sell your previous main residence within 36 months you can claim the surcharge back from HMRC.

Non-UK resident surcharge

A further 2% applies to buyers who have not been present in the UK for at least 183 days in the 12 months before completion. The 2% sits on top of the standard rates and the additional-property surcharge, so a non-resident buying a buy-to-let pays an extra 7% across every band.

Worked example — £350,000 home mover

A non-first-time buyer purchasing at £350,000 pays SDLT band by band:

0% on the first £125,000 = £0
2% on £125,001 to £250,000 (£125,000 slice) = £2,500
5% on £250,001 to £350,000 (£100,000 slice) = £5,000
Total SDLT — £7,500 (effective rate 2.14%)

Worked example — £350,000 first-time buyer

0% on the first £300,000 = £0
5% on £300,001 to £350,000 (£50,000 slice) = £2,500
Total SDLT — £2,500 (effective rate 0.71%)

Worked example — £600,000 buy-to-let

An additional-property purchase at £600,000 attracts the 5% surcharge across all bands:

5% on the first £125,000 = £6,250
7% on £125,001 to £250,000 = £8,750
10% on £250,001 to £600,000 = £35,000
Total SDLT — £50,000 (effective rate 8.33%)

When is SDLT payable?

SDLT must be paid and the SDLT1 return filed with HMRC within 14 days of completion. Your conveyancer almost always handles this — they deduct the tax from your completion funds, file the return, and send you the SDLT5 certificate that the Land Registry needs to register your title. The 14-day clock and filing process are set out on GOV.UK file and pay SDLT. Late filing triggers an automatic £100 penalty after the deadline, rising to £200 after three months and a percentage-of-tax penalty after six months, plus interest on the unpaid amount.

How SDLT differs from LBTT and LTT

Property tax is devolved across the UK. SDLT applies only in England and Northern Ireland. Scotland and Wales each run their own systems with different bands and thresholds.

Scotland — Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT)

LBTT in Scotland starts at £145,000 (£175,000 for first-time buyers) and rises to a 12% top band above £750,000. The Additional Dwelling Supplement is 8%, considerably higher than the SDLT 5% surcharge. Rates and bands are published by Revenue Scotland.

Wales — Land Transaction Tax (LTT)

LTT has no first-time buyer relief — the nil-rate band is £225,000 for everyone. Higher residential rates start at 5%. The Welsh Revenue Authority publishes current rates on the Welsh Government LTT page.

Reliefs and edge cases worth knowing

Multiple Dwellings Relief was abolished for transactions completing on or after 1 June 2024. It used to soften the SDLT bill on bulk purchases of dwellings; it no longer applies.
Mixed-use purchases (a flat above a shop, a working farm with a farmhouse) attract the lower commercial SDLT rates with a 5% top band, a meaningful saving above £250,000.
Transfers between spouses generally attract no SDLT unless mortgage debt is being transferred, in which case SDLT is calculated on the assumed share of the debt.
Companies buying residential property above £500,000 face a flat 17% rate unless a relief applies (e.g. property let on a commercial basis to unconnected tenants).
Surcharge refunds — if you paid the 5% surcharge because you owned another property and you sell that previous main residence within 36 months, HMRC refunds the surcharge. The deadline to apply is 12 months after the sale.

Budgeting for SDLT alongside the other moving costs

SDLT is the biggest line, but it is not the only cost paid in cash before completion. Conveyancing (£800 to £2,000), search fees (£250 to £450), survey (£400 to £1,500), Land Registry registration fee (£40 to £910), mortgage product fees, removals and Royal Mail redirection sit alongside it. Our moving cost breakdown for 2026 totals these line by line.