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
+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 |