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Stamp duty is a tax you pay when buying property in England or Northern Ireland. The equivalent tax in Scotland is the Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT), and in Wales it's the Land Transaction Tax (LTT).
You can use our calculator to work out your bill wherever you are buying in the UK. Just enter the price, location and purpose of the property you're buying.
Stamp duty, LBTT and LTT have different rates. Each tax is also tiered depending on whether you're a first-time buyer, home mover or buying a buy-to-let, second or holiday home. Find out more about what you'll pay using the jump links:
Please note that the information in this article is for information purposes only and does not constitute advice. Please refer to the particular terms and conditions of a provider before committing to any financial products.
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If you buy a property you're planning to live in (and you've owned a home before), you'll pay the following rates on each portion of the property price:
| Portion of the property price | Stamp duty rate (home mover) |
|---|---|
| £0-£125,000 | 0% |
| £125,001-£250,000 | 2% |
| £250,001-£925,000 | 5% |
| £925,001-£1.5m | 10% |
| More than £1.5m | 12% |
This example shows how much stamp duty you'd need to pay when buying a property for £350,000.
Different rates apply for first-time buyers getting onto the property ladder.
If your first home costs less than £300,000, you won't need to pay any stamp duty.
If it costs between £300,001 and £500,000, you'll pay 5% on the amount above £300,000.
If, however, the home costs more than £500,000, you'll need to pay stamp duty at the standard home mover rates listed above.
The table shows how much stamp duty you'd need to pay depending on the price of your first home.
| Property price | Stamp duty bill |
| £200,000 | £0 |
| £250,000 | £0 |
| £300,000 | £0 |
| £400,000 | £5,000 (5% of £100,000) |
| £500,000 | £10,000 (5% of £200,000) |
Unless you're a first-time buyer or purchasing a property for £40,000 or less, anyone buying a second home, holiday home or buy-to-let property - i.e. any property that won't be your primary residence - has to pay an extra 5% on each tier of stamp duty in England and Northern Ireland.
The current rates in England and Northern Ireland are as follows:
First-time buyers purchasing buy-to-let property will be subject to standard home mover rates.
Overseas-based buyers of property in England and Northern Ireland are required to pay an additional 2% stamp duty surcharge on top of the normal rates.
The 5% buy-to-let surcharge also applies, so foreign buyers purchasing buy-to-let properties or holiday homes will need to pay 7% more than the standard rates for UK home movers.
Property buyers in England and Northern Ireland have 14 days from the 'effective date' of the transaction (usually the date of completion) to pay their stamp duty bill. If you fail to do this on time, there's an automatic £100 fine.
In terms of how you pay, usually your solicitor or conveyancer will handle the stamp duty return for you - but you are still responsible for making sure this is done on time.
You can also submit the stamp duty return yourself by completing a paper return.
If you don't need to pay stamp duty, you won't have to submit a return.
The tax-free limit for properties bought by first-time buyers is £175,000, meaning that most first-time buyers will pay no LBTT at all.
If your first home is more expensive than this threshold, you'll still benefit from the relief on the first £175,000 of the price.
The table shows the LBTT rates for first-time buyers since April 2021.
| Potion of the property price | LBTT rate |
|---|---|
| £0-£175,000 | 0% |
| £175,001-£250,000 | 2% |
| £250,001-£325,000 | 5% |
| £325,001-£750,000 | 10% |
| More than £750,000 | 12% |
If you currently own a property which you're selling to move to a new one (or have ever owned a property before), assuming the property you're buying will be the only one you own at the time, you'll pay the standard LBTT rates.
LBTT is charged if the property costs over £145,000. The tax is tiered, which means you'll pay different percentage rates on different 'portions' of the property price.
| Portion of the property price | LBTT rate |
|---|---|
| £0-£145,000 | 0% |
| £145,001-£250,000 | 2% |
| £250,001-£325,000 | 5% |
| £325,001-£750,000 | 10% |
| More than £750,000 | 12% |
When you purchase a second home or buy-to-let property in Scotland, you have to pay an 'Additional Dwelling Supplement' or ADS.
The LBTT Additional Dwelling Supplement (ADS) on additional residential properties increased from 6% to 8% with effect from 5 December 2024.
| Portion of the property price | LBTT ADS rate |
|---|---|
| Properties worth less than £40,000 | 0% |
| £0-£145,000 | 8% |
| £145,001-£250,000 | 10% |
| £250,001-£325,000 | 13% |
| £325,001-£750,000 | 18% |
| More than £750,000 | 20% |
LBTT is usually payable whenever you make a 'land transaction' - i.e. whenever you buy property, or an interest in property.
However, there are some situations when no LBTT is payable, including:
To pay your LBTT, you'll need to make an LBTT return to Revenue Scotland.
The return must be lodged within 30 days of the sale being completed. You need to pay the amount due at the same time you file the return.
If you don't pay on time, you may face a penalty, and the purchase will not be registered until payment has been made.
Returns can be filed online.
Under the LTT system, if you're buying a property you intend to live in as your main residence, tax will only be payable if the property costs more than £225,000. The threshold was previously £180,000, before being increased on 10 October 2022.
First-time buyers are currently charged the same rate of LTT as home movers. This is in contrast to the stamp duty system in England, where people buying a first home costing £300,000 or less are exempt.
| Portion of the property price | LTT rate |
|---|---|
| £0 - £225,000 | 0% |
| £225,001 - £400,000 | 6% |
| £400,001 - £750,000 | 7.5% |
| £750,001 - £1.5m | 10% |
| £1.5m+ | 12% |
If you buy a second home or buy-to-let property in Wales, you'll need to pay a higher LTT rate.
Additional LTT paid at the higher rates can be refunded if you sell your main residence and the property you paid higher rates on becomes your main residence within 36 months of completion.
First-time buyers purchasing a buy-to-let property will only need to pay the standard home-buyer rates above.
| Portion of the property price | LTT rate |
|---|---|
| Less than £40,000 | 0% |
| £0 - £180,000 | 5% |
| £180,001 - £250,000 | 8.5% |
| £250,001 - £400,000 | 10% |
| £400,001 - £750,000 | 12.5% |
| £750,001 - £1.5m | 15% |
| £1.5m+ | 17% |
LTT is collected by the Welsh Revenue Authority (WRA).
Your solicitor will usually deal with the LTT return as part of the property transaction, but it's your responsibility to make sure it's submitted on time.
The LTT return must have been sent to WRA, and the tax paid, within 30 days after completion.
If your solicitor doesn't do this for you, you can do it yourself using an online or paper return.
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