Insights
How Much Stamp Duty Will I Pay? UK Rates and Bands Explained (2026)
Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) is charged when you buy a property over £125,000 in England and Northern Ireland. It is not a single flat rate — it is charged in bands, where each slice of the price is taxed at that band’s rate. For a standard home mover, a £400,000 home costs £7,500; a first-time buyer pays £5,000; and someone buying it as a second home pays £27,500. The rest of this guide shows exactly how those numbers are built, with a table for common prices. You can plug in your own figure with our UK Stamp Duty calculator.
How stamp duty works
The most common misconception is that stamp duty is one percentage of the whole price. It isn’t. Like income tax, it is banded: the portion of the price that falls in each band is taxed only at that band’s rate. So a higher price never pushes your entire purchase into a single higher rate — only the slice above each threshold is taxed more.
Standard rates (home movers)
If you are moving home (and already own a property you are replacing), these are the rates that apply:
| Portion of the price | 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 rates
If you and everyone buying with you have never owned a property, you get a discount: no stamp duty on the first £300,000, and 5% on the portion from £300,001 to £500,000. The relief is all-or-nothing at the top — if the property costs more than £500,000 you get no first-time buyer discount and pay the standard rates instead.
| Portion of the price | First-time buyer rate |
|---|---|
| Up to £300,000 | 0% |
| £300,001 to £500,000 | 5% |
| Over £500,000 | No relief — standard rates apply |
Second homes and buy-to-let
Buying an additional residential property — a second home or a buy-to-let priced at £40,000 or more — adds a 5% surcharge on top of every standard band. That makes the effective rate noticeably higher, especially on lower-priced properties where the 0% band disappears.
How much stamp duty on £250k, £500k, £750k, £1m?
Here is the duty at common prices for each type of buyer, so you can find the closest to your situation:
| Property price | Home mover | First-time buyer | Additional property |
|---|---|---|---|
| £250,000 | £2,500 | £0 | £15,000 |
| £300,000 | £5,000 | £0 | £20,000 |
| £500,000 | £15,000 | £10,000 | £40,000 |
| £750,000 | £27,500 | £27,500 | £65,000 |
| £1,000,000 | £43,750 | £43,750 | £93,750 |
Not seeing your exact price? Enter it in the stamp duty calculator to see the band-by-band breakdown for a home mover, first-time buyer, or second home.
When and how you pay
Stamp duty must be paid within 14 days of completing your purchase. In practice, your solicitor or conveyancer files the SDLT return and pays HMRC on your behalf, adding the amount to your completion statement — so you rarely pay it directly, but you do need the cash available at completion, on top of your deposit.
FAQ
How much stamp duty will I pay? It depends on the price and whether you are a home mover, first-time buyer, or buying an additional property. Use the table above or the calculator for your exact figure.
What percentage is stamp duty? There is no single percentage — it is banded from 0% to 12% for standard buyers, with each slice of the price taxed at its band’s rate. The effective rate (total duty ÷ price) rises with the price; on a £500,000 home mover purchase it is 3%.
Do first-time buyers pay stamp duty? Not on the first £300,000, and 5% on the part between £300,001 and £500,000. Above £500,000 the relief is lost and standard rates apply.
Does this apply in Scotland and Wales? No. Scotland charges Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT) and Wales charges Land Transaction Tax (LTT), both with their own bands. This guide covers England and Northern Ireland.
Can the rates change? Yes — thresholds and rates are set by the government and can change at Budgets. These reflect the rates in force since April 2025; always confirm the current figures against gov.uk before you commit.