Stamp duty on a £450,000 home in England or Northern Ireland is £12,500 for a home mover. A first-time buyer at £400,000 pays £5,000, and a second home at £300,000 pays £20,000.
What this calculates
Enter the price and choose whether you are moving home, a first-time buyer or buying an additional property. This works out the Stamp Duty Land Tax you pay, the effective rate and the price plus duty, with a table showing the tax in each band. The rates are for England and Northern Ireland, taken from GOV.UK, and are reviewed after every Budget.
The formula
Each band
tax = (the part of the price in the band) × (the band's rate)Total
SDLT = Σ tax in every band, rounded down to the poundThe standard bands are 0% to £125,000, 2% to £250,000, 5% to £925,000, 10% to £1.5 million and 12% above. A first-time buyer pays 0% to £300,000 and 5% to £500,000. An additional property adds 5 percentage points to every band.
Worked example
A first-time buyer at £400,000 pays 5% × £100,000 = £5,000; at £500,001 the relief is lost and the bill is £15,000. An additional property at £300,000 pays 5% × £125,000 + 7% × £125,000 + 10% × £50,000 = £20,000.
When to use it, and the mistakes to avoid
Use it to budget for a purchase, to compare buying a home with buying an additional one, or to see what price keeps you inside the first-time buyer relief.
The mistakes that cost the most:
- Applying one rate to the whole price. Each rate covers only its own band.
- Forgetting the £500,000 cliff. A first-time buyer just over it pays the full standard rates, thousands more.
- Overlooking the surcharge. A second home or buy-to-let pays 5 points more on every band.
- Using it in Scotland or Wales. They have their own taxes and bands.
- Using out-of-date rates. Check GOV.UK for the current bands before you commit.
FAQ
How is Stamp Duty Land Tax calculated?
In slices, like income tax. Each rate applies only to the part of the price inside its band, and the tax from each band is added up. On £450,000 a home mover pays nothing on the first £125,000, 2% on the next £125,000 and 5% on the last £200,000: £12,500 in all.
What do first-time buyers pay?
Nothing up to £300,000, and 5% on the part from £300,000 to £500,000, so £5,000 on a £400,000 home. The relief is only for homes priced at £500,000 or less: at £500,001 it is lost completely and the standard rates apply to the whole price.
How much extra do I pay on a second home or buy-to-let?
5 percentage points on every band, so the rates become 5%, 7%, 10%, 15% and 17%. On a £300,000 additional property that is £20,000 instead of £5,000. The surcharge applies to purchases of £40,000 or more.
Does this cover Scotland and Wales?
No. Stamp Duty Land Tax applies in England and Northern Ireland. Scotland charges Land and Buildings Transaction Tax and Wales charges Land Transaction Tax, with different bands. The extra charge for buyers who are not UK residents is also not included.
When do I pay it, and where do I check the rates?
Within 14 days of completion, usually through your solicitor. The rates can change at any Budget, so check the current ones on GOV.UK before you buy.