Stamp Duty bands (from 1 April 2025)
Stamp Duty is charged in slices, like income tax: each rate applies only to the part of the price inside that band.
| Portion of price | Standard rate | Additional property |
|---|---|---|
| Up to £125,000 | 0% | 5% |
| £125,001 to £250,000 | 2% | 7% |
| £250,001 to £925,000 | 5% | 10% |
| £925,001 to £1.5 million | 10% | 15% |
| Over £1.5 million | 12% | 17% |
First-time buyer relief
If you and everyone you are buying with have never owned a home anywhere in the world, you pay 0% on the first £300,000 and 5% on the portion from £300,001 to £500,000.
If the price is over £500,000, you cannot claim the relief and standard rates apply to the whole price.
Worked example 1: home mover
Price £350,000, standard rates
0% on the first £125,000 = £0
2% on the next £125,000 = £2,500
5% on the remaining £100,000 = £5,000
Total Stamp Duty = £7,500 (effective rate 2.14%)
Worked example 2: first-time buyer
Price £400,000, first-time buyer
0% on the first £300,000 = £0
5% on the remaining £100,000 = £5,000
Total Stamp Duty = £5,000 (a home mover would pay £10,000)
Worked example 3: buy-to-let
Price £250,000, additional property
5% on the first £125,000 = £6,250
7% on the next £125,000 = £8,750
Total Stamp Duty = £15,000
Surcharges and when to pay
- Additional properties: a 5% surcharge on every band if you will own more than one home. You may get it refunded if you sell your previous main home within 3 years.
- Non-UK residents: a further 2% on every band, on top of any other rate.
- Deadline: the SDLT return must be filed and the tax paid within 14 days of completion. Your solicitor or conveyancer usually does this.
- Scotland and Wales use Land and Buildings Transaction Tax and Land Transaction Tax, which have different bands.