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how much is stamp duty uk

Stamp duty in the UK is charged in bands, so how much you pay depends on the property price, where in the UK it is, and whether you’re a first‑time buyer or buying an additional home. For a typical home purchase in England or Northern Ireland in 2026 (main residence, not a first‑time buyer), you pay 0% up to £125,000, then rising percentage bands above that.

Current core rates (England & NI)

For most buyers of a main residence who have owned property before in England or Northern Ireland, typical 2026 stamp duty (SDLT) bands look like this:

  • 0% on the portion up to £125,000
  • 2% on the portion from £125,001 to £250,000
  • 5% on the portion from £250,001 to £925,000
  • 10% on the portion from £925,001 to £1.5 million
  • 12% on anything above £1.5 million

These are marginal bands, so you only pay the higher rate on the slice of the price that falls into that band.

Example: how much is it?

Using those bands for a standard home (England/NI, not first‑time, not an extra property):

  • Purchase price £200,000
    • 0% on first £125,000 = £0
    • 2% on £75,000 = £1,500 total stamp duty
  • Purchase price £300,000
    • 0% on £125,000 = £0
    • 2% on next £125,000 = £2,500
    • 5% on remaining £50,000 = £2,500
    • Total = £5,000

So “how much is stamp duty UK?” really depends on your price, location and buyer status.

First‑time buyers & extra properties

Different rules can reduce or increase how much you pay:

  • First‑time buyers (England & NI)
    • Pay 0% up to a higher threshold (commonly around £300,000 for many first‑time buyers, with relief tapering off above that).
* Relief only applies up to a maximum purchase price; above that, standard rates apply.
  • Additional properties / second homes
    • You normally pay a higher “surcharge” rate on each band compared to a main residence.
* This can add thousands on top of the standard SDLT for buy‑to‑let or second homes.

Always check the exact thresholds for your completion date, as some were tightened from April 2025.

Scotland and Wales

Scotland and Wales use their own systems and bands:

  • Scotland : Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT) with different price bands and rates.
  • Wales : Land Transaction Tax (LTT), also with its own thresholds.

On a £300,000 property in Wales, for example, you might pay 0% on the first portion and 6% on the slice above a certain band, which can give a different total to England.

Quick way to get your figure

Because stamp duty depends on lots of details (price, date, region, first‑time buyer, extra home etc.), the fastest way to get an exact number is to plug your details into an online stamp duty calculator:

  • Enter:
    • Purchase price
    • Location (England, NI, Scotland, Wales)
    • Whether you’re a first‑time buyer
    • Whether it’s an additional property
  • The tool then shows the total tax plus a breakdown by band.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.