Stamp duty in England and Northern Ireland in 2026 is 0% on the first £125,000 of a home’s price, then 2%, 5%, 10% and 12% on the slices above that, and first-time buyers pay nothing on the first £300,000 of a home costing up to £500,000. Those are the Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) rates published on GOV.UK, checked 12 November 2026.
This guide sets out the bands, the extra charges for additional homes and overseas buyers, and worked examples so you can see how the sums add up.
This guide is general information, not financial or tax advice. For your own purchase, speak to your conveyancer, a regulated mortgage adviser or a tax professional.
01What are the stamp duty rates in 2026?
SDLT is charged in slices. You pay each rate only on the part of the price that falls inside that band, not on the whole price.
These are the standard residential rates for a single property in England and Northern Ireland, from HMRC’s residential rates page:
| Portion of the price | SDLT rate |
|---|---|
| Up to £125,000 | 0% |
| £125,001 to £250,000 | 2% |
| £250,001 to £925,000 | 5% |
| £925,001 to £1.5 million | 10% |
| Above £1.5 million | 12% |
You only pay SDLT on a home when the price is above £125,000. For non-residential land and property the threshold is £150,000, according to GOV.UK’s main Stamp Duty Land Tax page.
A separate charge can apply to a new leasehold home. If the net present value of the rent over the lease is above £125,000, you pay 1% on the portion above £125,000. This does not apply when you buy an existing lease from someone else.
02When did the stamp duty thresholds last change?
The current bands took effect on 1 April 2025. From 23 September 2022 to 31 March 2025, a temporary cut raised the nil-rate threshold from £125,000 to £250,000 and lifted first-time buyer relief from £300,000 to £425,000, on homes up to £625,000 rather than £500,000, as the government’s policy paper on the temporary reductions sets out.
When that cut ended, the thresholds went back to £125,000 for most buyers and £300,000 for first-time buyers. We looked at the effect on buyers in Stamp Duty, First-Time Buyers and the 2025 squeeze.
The surcharge on additional homes also rose from 3% to 5% for purchases with an effective date on or after 31 October 2024, according to the government’s policy paper on the higher rates.
The Budget 2026 overview of tax legislation and rates does not change the residential bands above. Its SDLT measures deal with rent under assured tenancies, group relief for companies and Local Government Pension Scheme asset pools.
03How much stamp duty will I pay?
To work it out by hand, split the price into the bands, apply each rate to its slice and add the results together.
Take a £400,000 home bought by someone who is not a first-time buyer and will not own any other property:
- 0% on the first £125,000 = £0
- 2% on the next £125,000 = £2,500
- 5% on the final £150,000 = £7,500
- Total SDLT = £10,000
The table shows what the standard rates produce at a range of prices. These are our own sums using the GOV.UK bands.
| Purchase price | SDLT at standard rates | As a share of the price |
|---|---|---|
| £125,000 | £0 | 0% |
| £200,000 | £1,500 | 0.8% |
| £250,000 | £2,500 | 1.0% |
| £300,000 | £5,000 | 1.7% |
| £400,000 | £10,000 | 2.5% |
| £500,000 | £15,000 | 3.0% |
| £1,000,000 | £43,750 | 4.4% |
| £2,000,000 | £153,750 | 7.7% |
For where prices themselves are heading, see our report on UK house prices in September 2026.
04How does first-time buyer relief work?
First-time buyers pay 0% on the first £300,000 and 5% on the portion from £300,001 to £500,000. The relief is only available if you and everyone buying with you are first-time buyers, and it cannot be used if the price is over £500,000, according to GOV.UK.
There is no partial relief above £500,000. The standard rates then apply to the whole price, which creates a sharp jump in the bill.
| Purchase price | First-time buyer SDLT | Standard SDLT | Saving |
|---|---|---|---|
| £250,000 | £0 | £2,500 | £2,500 |
| £300,000 | £0 | £5,000 | £5,000 |
| £400,000 | £5,000 | £10,000 | £5,000 |
| £500,000 | £10,000 | £15,000 | £5,000 |
| £510,000 | £15,500 (no relief) | £15,500 | £0 |
Many first-time buyers lean on family help for the deposit, a trend we covered in Stamp Duty Changes May Deepen Reliance on the Hotel of Mum and Dad. For how buyers are getting on the ladder, read First time buyers take charge.
Budget 2026 also announced a First Time Buyer ISA to replace the Lifetime ISA for new savers. It will pay a 25% government bonus “on the final account balance up to a maximum of £20,000” towards a first home worth up to £450,000, and the government says the products launch in April 2029, according to the Budget 2026 overview.
05Do I pay more stamp duty on a second home or buy-to-let?
Yes. If buying a residential property means you will own more than one, you usually pay 5% on top of the standard rates. The surcharge has been 5% for purchases with an effective date on or after 31 October 2024; before that it was 3%.
HMRC’s guidance on buying an additional residential property says the higher rates apply when:
- the property costs £40,000 or more
- it will not be the only residential property worth £40,000 or more that you own, anywhere in the world
- you have not sold or given away your previous main home
- no one else holds a lease on it with more than 21 years left to run
Companies buying residential property usually pay the higher rates too. On purchases above £500,000, a 17% rate for corporate bodies may apply instead.
| Purchase price | Standard SDLT | 5% surcharge | Total for an additional home |
|---|---|---|---|
| £200,000 | £1,500 | £10,000 | £11,500 |
| £250,000 | £2,500 | £12,500 | £15,000 |
| £300,000 | £5,000 | £15,000 | £20,000 |
| £500,000 | £15,000 | £25,000 | £40,000 |
If you are weighing up selling a rental instead, our piece on knowing when the time is right to sell your buy-to-let property covers the timing questions.
06What if I buy a new home before selling my old one?
Your current home counts as an additional property if you still own it at the end of the day you buy the new one. That means you pay the higher rates at first.
If you then sell your previous main home within 3 years of buying the new one, you can claim back the higher-rate portion. For sales on or after 29 October 2018, the claim must be made within 12 months of the later of the sale or the filing date of the SDLT return for the new home, according to HMRC.
The higher rates do not apply if the new property will be your main home and you sold or gave away your last main home before, or on the same day as, the purchase. Sales do fall through, as our report that nearly a third of UK property sales fail shows, so check where you stand before you complete.
07What is the non-resident stamp duty surcharge?
Buyers who are not UK resident pay rates 2 percentage points higher on residential property in England and Northern Ireland. The surcharge has applied since 1 April 2021, according to GOV.UK’s guidance for non-UK residents.
An individual counts as non-UK resident if they were not present in the UK for at least 183 days during the 12 months before their purchase. Days anywhere in the UK count. If one joint buyer is non-resident, all the buyers are treated as non-resident.
The 2% is added on top of every other residential rate, including first-time buyer rates and the additional property surcharge.
| Example: a £400,000 home | SDLT |
|---|---|
| UK resident, only property | £10,000 |
| Non-UK resident, only property | £18,000 |
| UK resident, additional property | £30,000 |
| Non-UK resident, additional property | £38,000 |
There is a refund route for individuals. If you are in the UK for at least 183 days in any continuous 365-day period falling between 364 days before and 365 days after the effective date of the purchase, you can claim back the surcharge by amending your SDLT return within 2 years of the effective date.
08How do I use the HMRC stamp duty calculator?
HMRC’s Stamp Duty Land Tax calculator is the official place to check your figure. It covers first-time buyers, people replacing a main residence, additional properties, residential and non-residential purchases, freehold and leasehold, and non-UK residents buying residential property.
HMRC says the calculator works out the tax for most transactions. If you are unsure how SDLT applies, or think your purchase may qualify for a relief, it points you to the guidance, and different rules apply to a company buying a home for more than £500,000.
Stamp duty is often the largest upfront cost after the deposit, so run it alongside your mortgage sums. Our guide to mortgage rates in the UK in 2026 covers the borrowing side.
09When do I have to pay stamp duty?
You must send an SDLT return to HMRC and pay the tax within 14 days of completion. If you use a solicitor or conveyancer, they will usually file the return and pay the tax on your behalf, according to GOV.UK.
10Is stamp duty different in Scotland and Wales?
Yes. SDLT applies in England and Northern Ireland only.
In Scotland you pay Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT), run by Revenue Scotland, with its own residential bands and an Additional Dwelling Supplement for additional homes. Check the current figures on Revenue Scotland’s LBTT pages.
In Wales you pay Land Transaction Tax (LTT) on purchases completed on or after 1 April 2018. The Welsh Government’s LTT rates page shows a 0% main residential band up to £225,000 for transactions on or after 10 October 2022, and higher rates for additional properties starting at 5% for transactions on or after 11 December 2024.
11Where do these figures come from?
Every rate and threshold in this guide was checked on 12 November 2026 against GOV.UK and HMRC: the residential rates page, the additional property guidance, the non-UK resident guidance, the policy papers on the 2022 temporary reduction and the 2024 higher rates increase, the Budget 2026 overview of tax legislation and rates, and the HMRC calculator. The worked examples are our own sums using those bands.
Rates can change at a Budget, so run your figure through HMRC’s calculator before you exchange contracts and ask your conveyancer to confirm it.
