SDLT · England & Northern Ireland

Stamp Duty Calculator

Work out exactly what you'll owe HMRC on a residential property purchase in London — or anywhere in England — banded the same way the tax actually applies.

Rates current as of April 2025 thresholds, in force through 2026

Purchase price

£0£1m£2m

Buyer status

Additional property

Total Stamp Duty Owed

£22,500

Effective rate: 3.5% of purchase price

2% band£2,500

5% band£20,000

Band-by-band breakdown

Band	Rate	Tax
£0 – £125,000	0%	£0
£125,000 – £250,000	2%	£2,500
£250,000 – £650,000	5%	£20,000

SDLT must be paid and a return filed within 14 days of completion. This calculator covers standard residential rates for England and Northern Ireland — Scotland and Wales use separate systems (LBTT and LTT). This tool is for guidance only and isn't a substitute for advice from a solicitor or conveyancer.

Stamp Duty Calculator · Rates reflect HMRC thresholds effective 1 April 2025

How Stamp Duty Land Tax works

Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) is charged on residential property purchases in England and Northern Ireland once the price goes above £125,000. It's a banded tax, similar to income tax: you don't pay one flat rate on the full price, you pay increasing rates only on the portion of the price that falls into each band.

For a standard purchase, the first £125,000 is tax-free. The next slice, up to £250,000, is taxed at 2%. From there it rises to 5% up to £925,000, 10% up to £1.5 million, and 12% on anything above that.

First-time buyer relief

If you've never owned property anywhere in the world, you likely qualify for first-time buyer relief. This raises your tax-free threshold from £125,000 to £300,000. Between £300,001 and £500,000, you pay 5% only on the amount above £300,000.

The relief disappears entirely above £500,000 — at that point you pay standard rates on the full amount, with no special treatment for being a first-time buyer.

Buying a second home or investment property

If the property you're buying will be an additional one — a second home, a buy-to-let, anything you won't use as your only residence — a 5% surcharge applies on top of the standard bands, from the very first pound.

This means a second home costing £300,000 attracts £20,000 in SDLT: £5,000 under the standard bands, plus a flat £15,000 surcharge (5% of the full price).

When and how to pay

SDLT must be paid, and a return filed with HMRC, within 14 days of completion. In practice, your solicitor or conveyancer usually handles this as part of the conveyancing process and includes the payment in your completion funds — but the legal responsibility to pay on time sits with you as the buyer.