Comparison calculator page
Stamp Duty by UK Nation: SDLT vs LBTT vs LTT
Stamp duty is not one UK tax. England and Northern Ireland use SDLT, Scotland uses LBTT, and Wales uses LTT. The bands, first-time buyer rules and extra charges for additional dwellings are different in each nation.
Use the calculator for the nation where the property is. Do not add England’s +5% surcharge to a Scottish or Welsh price.
Option A
England & Northern Ireland (SDLT)
Use the calculator cards below to model the lower-risk or simpler route when that is the better match for your horizon and cash needs.
Option B
Scotland (LBTT) and Wales (LTT)
Use the same numbers on the alternative route so you can compare the trade-off cleanly instead of relying on mismatched assumptions.
Use these calculators to make the comparison real
These are the CalculatorZone tools that answer the two sides of the decision most directly.
England & NI
Stamp Duty Calculator
Residential SDLT from 1 April 2025, including first-time buyer relief and the +5% additional-property surcharge.
Use it when: Use when the property is in England or Northern Ireland.
Scotland
LBTT Calculator Scotland
LBTT slices plus first-time buyer nil-rate to £175,000 and Additional Dwelling Supplement at 8% of the whole price.
Use it when: Use when the property is in Scotland.
Wales
LTT Calculator Wales
LTT main table or the separate higher-rate table. Wales has no first-time buyer relief.
Use it when: Use when the property is in Wales.
England FTB
First-Time Buyer Stamp Duty Calculator
Locks first-time buyer SDLT relief, including the £500,000 cliff.
Use it when: Use when every buyer is a first-time buyer in England or Northern Ireland.
Run the numbers side by side
Use the tools below with the same assumptions wherever possible, then compare the outputs against the decision table that follows.
Stamp Duty Calculator
Example result based on the prefilled values.
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Stamp Duty | £5,000.00 |
| Effective Rate | 1.70% |
| Surcharge | £0.00 |
LBTT Calculator Scotland
Example result based on the prefilled values.
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| LBTT | £1,800.00 |
| ADS | £0.00 |
| Total | £1,800.00 |
| Effective Rate | 0.80% |
How the options differ
Main residential bands
England & Northern Ireland (SDLT)
0% to £125k, 2% to £250k, 5% to £925k, 10% to £1.5m, 12% above (from 1 April 2025).
Scotland (LBTT) and Wales (LTT)
Scotland: 0% to £145k, then 2%, 5%, 10%, 12%. Wales: 0% to £225k, then 6%, 7.5%, 10%, 12%.
Why it matters: The same purchase price produces three different tax bills.
First-time buyers
England & Northern Ireland (SDLT)
0% to £300k and 5% to £500k, lost entirely above £500k.
Scotland (LBTT) and Wales (LTT)
Scotland raises the nil-rate to £175k with a £600 maximum save and no price cap. Wales has no first-time buyer scheme.
Why it matters: Copying the English relief onto a Scottish or Welsh purchase is wrong.
Additional dwelling
England & Northern Ireland (SDLT)
+5 percentage points on each SDLT band, if the price is £40,000 or more.
Scotland (LBTT) and Wales (LTT)
Scotland: ADS is 8% of the whole price. Wales: a separate higher-rate table, not +5%.
Why it matters: The three surcharge architectures are not interchangeable.
Non-resident surcharge
England & Northern Ireland (SDLT)
+2% can apply in England and Northern Ireland. This calculator does not model it.
Scotland (LBTT) and Wales (LTT)
Scotland and Wales have no non-resident surcharge.
Why it matters: A non-resident English purchase needs extra treatment that LBTT and LTT do not copy.
Decision guidance
- Choose the calculator for the nation on the title deeds, not the buyer’s tax office.
- If anyone in the purchase already owns a home, switch on the additional-property control before counting first-time buyer relief.
- Confirm the return with the conveyancer and the relevant tax authority before exchange.
Related pages
Official references
- GOV.UK SDLT residential rates
Official England and Northern Ireland bands.
- Revenue Scotland LBTT
Official Scottish residential bands and reliefs.
- Welsh Government LTT rates
Official Welsh main and higher-rate tables.