Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) is what you pay the government when you buy property in England or Northern Ireland. Wales uses Land Transaction Tax; Scotland uses Land and Buildings Transaction Tax. The rules below are for England + NI and reflect the 1 April 2025 changes confirmed in the Autumn Budget 2024.
How SDLT is calculated
SDLT is tiered: you pay nothing on the first part of the price, then a percentage on each higher band — like income tax. There's no cliff edge. One house at £260,000 pays SDLT on the £10,000 that falls above the £250,000 band, not on the full £260,000.
Standard residential rates (main home)
| Portion of price | Rate | Max SDLT in this band |
|---|---|---|
| £0 – £125,000 | 0% | £0 |
| £125,001 – £250,000 | 2% | £2,500 |
| £250,001 – £925,000 | 5% | £33,750 |
| £925,001 – £1.5m | 10% | £57,500 |
| Over £1.5m | 12% | — |
First-time-buyer relief
If it's your first home and you'll live in it, you qualify for FTB relief. From April 2025:
- Purchases up to £300,000 — no SDLT
- Purchases £300,001 – £500,000 — pay 5% on the portion above £300,000
- Purchases above £500,000 — you lose the relief entirely and pay standard rates on the whole price
If you are deciding between two homes, compare the tax difference alongside the mortgage payment rather than treating SDLT in isolation. The Mortgage Affordability Calculator and the first-time buyer mortgage guide give the wider context.
+5% additional-property surcharge
If this purchase leaves you owning two or more residential properties at the end of the day of completion, you pay an extra 5% on top of standard rates (raised from 3% to 5% on 31 October 2024). This hits second homes, buy-to-let, and buyers who haven't sold their previous main home by completion.
| Portion of price | Standard | With surcharge |
|---|---|---|
| £0 – £125,000 | 0% | 5% |
| £125,001 – £250,000 | 2% | 7% |
| £250,001 – £925,000 | 5% | 10% |
| £925,001 – £1.5m | 10% | 15% |
| Over £1.5m | 12% | 17% |
Non-UK resident surcharge
Non-UK-resident buyers of residential property pay an additional 2% on top of every band — stackable with the 5% additional-property surcharge if applicable. You count as non-resident if you've been in the UK fewer than 183 days in the 12 months before completion.
Worked examples
| Band | Portion | Rate | SDLT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to £300,000 | £275,000 | 0% | £0 |
| TOTAL | £0 |
| Band | Portion | Rate | SDLT |
|---|---|---|---|
| £0 – £125,000 | £125,000 | 0% | £0 |
| £125,001 – £250,000 | £125,000 | 2% | £2,500 |
| £250,001 – £425,000 | £175,000 | 5% | £8,750 |
| TOTAL | £11,250 |
| Band | Portion | Rate | SDLT |
|---|---|---|---|
| £0 – £125,000 | £125,000 | 5% | £6,250 |
| £125,001 – £250,000 | £125,000 | 7% | £8,750 |
| £250,001 – £350,000 | £100,000 | 10% | £10,000 |
| TOTAL | £25,000 |
Official sources and related reads
- First-time buyer mortgage guide — puts the SDLT numbers into the wider buying budget.
- Stamp Duty Calculator — runs the exact bands against your price.
- GOV.UK: Stamp Duty Land Tax overview — the official SDLT rates and thresholds page.
- GOV.UK: Residential property rates — the detailed residential SDLT bands.
- GOV.UK: Buying a home — the wider official home-buying process.