Stamp duty calculator

Stamp Duty Calculator
Use our guide to work out how much you’ll need to pay

Stamp duty is a tax levied on property purchases in the UK, but it only applies if the property’s price exceeds a specified limit. To determine the amount you’ll owe, use our stamp duty calculator provided below. Additionally, our comprehensive guide details how stamp duty operates across various regions of the UK and outlines payment deadlines.

What is stamp duty?

When you buy property or land, you usually pay tax on it. This is called stamp duty land tax in England and Northern Ireland, land and buildings transaction tax in Scotland and land transaction tax in Wales (though we’ll use the generic term ‘stamp duty’ throughout this guide).

Although the terminology may vary, each nation within the UK employs a similar tiered system for stamp duty. Instead of applying a flat rate to the entire purchase price of a property, this system involves paying different rates on different portions of the property’s value.

Despite this progressive approach, stamp duty can still be a considerable expense. In 2023, the average stamp duty payment for homebuyers in England and Northern Ireland was approximately £10,000, contributing to a total expenditure of £11.5 billion on stamp duty, as reported by Coventry Building Society.

Below, we provide a detailed explanation of how stamp duty operates and offer a calculator to help determine your stamp duty liability.

Stamp duty rates

Here’s how the thresholds and rates differ across the UK nations.

England and Northern Ireland

In England and Northern Ireland, you won’t need to pay stamp duty on the initial £250,000 of a primary residential property purchase. For first-time buyers, this threshold is increased to £425,000.

Below are the stamp duty rates applicable for main residential property purchases:

Stamp duty rates (England & Northern Ireland)

What is the stamp duty rate for non-UK residents?

In England and Northern Ireland, individuals purchasing property who are classified as ‘non-residents’ face a higher stamp duty rate.

To be considered a non-resident, you must not have spent at least 183 days in the UK, which includes Scotland and Wales, in the 12 months preceding the property purchase. It’s important to be aware that the regulations become more intricate if you are married.

For non-residents, the stamp duty rate is increased by an additional two percentage points beyond the standard rates. For instance, a non-resident first-time buyer acquiring a property valued at £500,000 would incur the following stamp duty charges:

• 2% on the portion of the property price up to £425,000 (as opposed to 0%).
• 7% on the portion of the property price from £425,000 to £500,000 (compared to the standard 5%).

For more information on how non-resident status works in relation to stamp duty, see the Gov.uk website.

Scotland

The primary distinction between stamp duty in Scotland and that in England or Northern Ireland lies in the different thresholds and rates applied. However, Scotland’s system includes additional reliefs for first-time buyers, similar to those available in England and Northern Ireland.

Below are the stamp duty rates applicable to a primary residential property:

Land & buildings transaction tax rates (Scotland)

Wales

In Wales, the stamp duty thresholds and rates differ from those in England, Northern Ireland, and Scotland. Additionally, there is no additional relief available for first-time buyers.

Below are the rates you will need to pay:

Land transaction tax rates (Wales)

(1) Rate applies to relevant portion of the purchase price.

Stamp duty for first-time buyers

Determining the exact amount of stamp duty for first-time buyers, particularly with the additional ‘relief’ available in England, Northern Ireland, and Scotland, can be quite perplexing.

To find out your potential stamp duty liability, simply select the first-time buyer option in our stamp duty calculator above. However, it’s important to remember that…

For stamp duty purposes, you will NOT be classified as a first-time buyer if you have ever owned or partially owned a property, whether in the UK or overseas. This also applies if you have inherited a property, even if you sold it immediately and never occupied it.

England and Northern Ireland

First-time buyers don’t pay stamp duty on the first £425,000 of a main residential property (provided the property you’re buying costs £625,000 or less).

Wales 

First-time buyers pay don’t pay land transaction tax on the first £225,000 of a property (this applies to all buyers of a main residential property).

Scotland

First-time buyers don’t pay land and buildings transaction tax on the first £175,000 of a property.

Buy-to-let and second home stamp duty

When purchasing an additional property beyond the one you already own—such as a second, third, or more properties—you will encounter a higher stamp duty rate.

• In England and Northern Ireland, this elevated rate adds an extra three percentage points to the standard stamp duty rates.

For instance, if you were buying a second home priced at £300,000, the stamp duty would amount to £11,500. Conversely, if this were your sole property and you weren’t a first-time buyer, the stamp duty would be only £2,500.

• In Scotland, the additional stamp duty rate is six percentage points higher.

Thus, for a second property valued at £300,000, you would face a stamp duty charge of £22,600. This is in contrast to £4,600 if the property were your only one and you weren’t a first-time buyer.

• In Wales, the extra rate is four percentage points.

Therefore, on a second property costing £300,000, you would pay £16,950 in stamp duty. This compares to £4,500 if the property were your sole residence.

This increased rate also applies if the additional property is intended for rental purposes (known as buy-to-let). However, first-time buyers who plan to rent out their property as a buy-to-let will not be subject to this higher rate but will also not be eligible for first-time buyer stamp duty relief.

When must I pay stamp duty?

In England and Northern Ireland, you have 14 days from the completion date (when all contracts are signed, dated, and the keys are handed over—refer to our Buying a Home guide for a detailed timeline) to settle any stamp duty owed.

In Scotland and Wales, the deadline is extended to 30 days.

Exceeding this timeframe may result in fines and potentially additional interest, so it’s important to adhere to the deadline.

Typically, your solicitor will manage this process and will likely urge you to settle the stamp duty promptly—most solicitors prefer to receive payment before finalizing the property purchase, as a precaution in case you fail to pay later.

Nevertheless, it remains your legal duty to ensure that the stamp duty or transaction tax is paid. If you are handling this yourself, click the questions to understand the procedure.

How to pay stamp duty in England and Northern Ireland

In England and Northern Ireland, stamp duty is paid to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC). Where your solicitor doesn’t do this for you, here’s what you need to do…

• Submit a return registering the transaction. You’ll need to go to Gov.uk to do this.
• Find your unique transaction reference number (UTRN). It’s 11 characters long and found on your submission receipt if you have filed online, or on your paper stamp duty return.

• Pay online or by mobile banking. Just as you might move money to a pal’s account, you can transfer the money online or by mobile banking using HMRC’s bank details. Bacs payments normally take three working days, so take this into account and don’t miss the deadline, while CHAPS payments usually arrive on the same working day.
• Other ways to pay. If you don’t have online or mobile banking, you can pay by debit card (but not credit card), cheque or cash in most banks, or by cheque via the post.

How to pay land and buildings transaction tax in Scotland

Land and buildings transaction tax is paid to Revenue Scotland. If your solicitor doesn’t do this for you, here’s what you need to do…

• Submit an online return registering the transaction. You’ll need to go to Revenue Scotland’s site to do this.
• Find your transaction reference. It’s 13 characters long, beginning with ‘RS’. You can find it on the receipt for your online return.
• Bank transfer. Just as you might move money to a pal’s account, you can transfer the money online or by mobile banking using Revenue Scotland’s bank details. You can use Faster Payments, Bacs or CHAPS. Remember, if you’re using Bacs, the transfer could take three working days, so don’t miss your payment date.

How to pay land transaction tax in Wales

In Wales, land transaction tax is paid to the Welsh Revenue Authority (WRA). If your solicitor doesn’t do this for you, here’s what you need to do…

• First you need to submit a return registering the transaction. You’ll need to go to the WRA website and submit a tax return registering the transaction. This can either be done online or via post.

• Find your unique transaction reference number (UTRN). After you’ve submitted your return, you will not be given a UTRN immediately. It will be sent to you once your return has been processed by the WRA. If you’ve not got enough time to wait for your UTRN to be issued, you can instead use the following payment reference number:”Postcode of land \ surname of buyer”. For example: “CF379EH \ Bloggs”.

• Bank transfer . Just as you might move money to a pal’s account, you can transfer the money online or via mobile banking using the WRA’s bank details. You can use Faster Payments, Bacs or CHAPS. Remember to include the reference (as explained above) in the payment reference section. If using BACS, the WRA must have your payment four working days before the payment due date, so that it can be processed.

Adding stamp duty to a mortgage

In general, it’s advisable not to include stamp duty in your mortgage, though many people end up doing so.

If you decide to add the stamp duty to your mortgage, it will increase your overall debt. For instance, in England and Northern Ireland, if you need a £180,000 mortgage for a £300,000 home but also want to cover the stamp duty, you would need to borrow £182,500. You would then use the additional amount from your deposit to pay the stamp duty.

There are two key factors to consider in this situation. First, since mortgages are often stretched over long periods (typically 25 years or more), the additional borrowing for stamp duty will be repaid over the same term. At an interest rate of 5%, borrowing an extra £2,500 would end up costing approximately £6,000 in interest over 25 years, so it’s important to factor in this extra expense.

Second, incorporating the stamp duty into your mortgage could affect your loan-to-value ratio (LTV), which indicates the percentage of the property’s value you are borrowing. The best mortgage rates usually require an LTV of no more than 60%. In the example provided, including the stamp duty would raise your LTV from 60% to nearly 62%. This could impact the terms you are offered, so it’s wise to consult with a mortgage broker to determine if this approach is suitable for you.

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