Buying Costs
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England buying costs calculator

Taxes and fees on top of the price in England, from the rules in force on 2 November 2026. The calculator starts on one case: a 350,000 resale second home, buyer not tax-resident there who already owns a home. Change any input to see yours.

In the local currency
Tax-resident there
Own another home
Purchase date 2 Nov 2026, first-time buyer and replacing your home
Rules in force on this day
First-time buyer

For England, no rule depends on the property being new, age or official value, so they are not asked.

On top of the price, England

£33,500

Estimate range £32,900 to £34,100

Taxes£32,000
Fees, typical£1,500
All in£383,500
Tax set by lawTypical feeCould be up toNot confirmed yet, reason on the line

Taxes

£32,000

  • SDLT higher rates for an additional home (+5%)

    £17,500

    Charged from £40,000 when, at the end of the completion day, you own another home worth £40,000 or more anywhere in the world; a spouse or civil partner's home counts too. Not charged if the new home replaces your main home and you sold the old one on or before completion. If the old one is still unsold at completion, you pay the 5% and can claim it back if you sell it within 3 years, within 12 months of the sale or of the return's filing date, whichever is later.

    Rate set by lawSource: GOV.UK: Stamp Duty Land Tax, buying an additional residential property (updated 1 April 2025), checked 2 Nov 2026, official source

  • Stamp Duty Land Tax

    £7,500
    Rate set by lawSource: GOV.UK: Stamp Duty Land Tax, residential property rates, checked 2 Nov 2026, official source

  • SDLT non-resident surcharge (+2%)

    £7,000

    Non-resident means in the UK fewer than 183 days in the 12 months before buying. If you are in the UK for 183 days in any 365-day stretch within the year before and the year after buying, you can claim the 2% back by amending the return within two years of completion. A non-resident buying jointly with a UK-resident spouse or civil partner they live with is treated as resident.

    Rate set by lawSource: HMRC SDLTM09960: reclaiming the non-resident surcharge by amending the return, checked 2 Nov 2026, official source

Fees, typical

£1,500

Read this before you budget

No notes for this case.

Sources and checks

Rules in force on 2 Nov 2026: United Kingdom from 9 Dec 2024 and England from 1 Apr 2025. Next review due 1 Apr 2027.

Lines marked as estimates are typical market figures, not quotes. The total uses the typical figure; the range adds up the low and the high ends.

Quick facts (2026)

Taxes in the rules
4: Stamp Duty Land Tax; Stamp Duty Land Tax, first-time buyer relief; SDLT higher rates for an additional home (+5%); SDLT non-resident surcharge (+2%). Each applies only in the situations its rule names.
Tax-resident buyer, £350,000 resale main home
£9,000 on top of the price (2.6%), of which taxes £7,500
The calculator's starting case
£33,500 on top (9.6%) for a 350,000 resale second home, buyer not tax-resident there who already owns a home
Fees
Typically £1,500, between £900 and £2,100. Estimates, not quotes.
Rules in force
Since 1 April 2025. Next review due 1 Apr 2027.
Sources
12 cited, last checked 2 Nov 2026.

Which taxes and fees apply, and when

The rules in force on 2 November 2026 for England, as the engine reads them. A line applies only when every condition under it holds.

Taxes

Stamp Duty Land Tax

Tax

Applies when

  • except when the buyer is a first-time buyer, the buyer owns no other home, it is for your main home and the price is £500,000 or less

Charged in bands on the price: each slice is taxed at its own rate, rounded down to the whole unit.

Bands
Slice of the valueRate on that slice
up to £125,0000%
£125,000 to £250,0002%
£250,000 to £925,0005%
£925,000 to £1,500,00010%
over £1,500,00012%

Source: GOV.UK: Stamp Duty Land Tax, residential property rates, checked 2 Nov 2026, official source

Stamp Duty Land Tax, first-time buyer relief

Tax

Applies when

  • the buyer is a first-time buyer
  • the buyer owns no other home
  • it is for your main home
  • the price is £500,000 or less

Charged in bands on the price: each slice is taxed at its own rate, rounded down to the whole unit.

Bands
Slice of the valueRate on that slice
up to £300,0000%
over £300,0005%

Source: GOV.UK: Stamp Duty Land Tax, residential property rates, checked 2 Nov 2026, official source

SDLT higher rates for an additional home (+5%)

Tax

Applies when

  • the buyer already owns a home
  • the buyer is not replacing a main home already sold by completion
  • the price is £40,000 or more

5% of the price, rounded down to the whole unit.

Charged from £40,000 when, at the end of the completion day, you own another home worth £40,000 or more anywhere in the world; a spouse or civil partner's home counts too. Not charged if the new home replaces your main home and you sold the old one on or before completion. If the old one is still unsold at completion, you pay the 5% and can claim it back if you sell it within 3 years, within 12 months of the sale or of the return's filing date, whichever is later.

Source: GOV.UK: Stamp Duty Land Tax, buying an additional residential property (updated 1 April 2025), checked 2 Nov 2026, official source

SDLT non-resident surcharge (+2%)

Tax

Applies when

  • the buyer is not tax-resident

2% of the price, rounded down to the whole unit.

Non-resident means in the UK fewer than 183 days in the 12 months before buying. If you are in the UK for 183 days in any 365-day stretch within the year before and the year after buying, you can claim the 2% back by amending the return within two years of completion. A non-resident buying jointly with a UK-resident spouse or civil partner they live with is treated as resident.

Source: HMRC SDLTM09960: reclaiming the non-resident surcharge by amending the return, checked 2 Nov 2026, official source

Fees

Conveyancing solicitor (market rate)

Fee, estimate

Applies to every purchase

An estimate: typically £1,000, from £500 to £1,500.

The legal fee. Searches and the Land Registry fee are separate lines. Firms must publish their prices, including VAT and likely disbursements (SRA Transparency Rules).

Source: Which?: Conveyancing, what it is and what it costs (29 May 2026), checked 2 Nov 2026, secondary source

From the rules for United Kingdom.

Local searches

Fee, estimate

Applies to every purchase

An estimate: typically £350, from £250 to £450.

A standard pack: local authority, drainage and water, environmental. Each council sets its own local search fee, and some charge much more.

Source: HouseCheckup: conveyancing searches compared (standard pack, 2026), checked 2 Nov 2026, secondary source

From the rules for United Kingdom.

HM Land Registry fee (Scale 1)

Fee

Applies to every purchase

A fixed amount set by the band the price falls in.

Bands
ValueAmount
up to £80,000£20
£80,000 to £100,000£40
£100,000 to £200,000£100
£200,000 to £500,000£150
£500,000 to £1,000,000£295
over £1,000,000£500

The fee for an online application to register a whole title, the usual resale case. A new-build plot taken off a developer's larger title, or a postal application, pays the higher column (£45 to £1,105).

Source: HM Land Registry: registration services fees, Scale 1 (updated 28 April 2025), checked 2 Nov 2026, official source

From the rules for United Kingdom.

Buying costs by price

The calculator's starting case at seven prices: a resale second home, buyer not tax-resident there who already owns a home.

England: second home, buyer not tax-resident, owns another home
PriceTaxesFees, typicalTotal on topEstimate rangeShare of price
£150,000£11,000£1,450£12,450£11,850 to £13,0508.30%
£250,000£20,000£1,500£21,500£20,900 to £22,1008.60%
£350,000£32,000£1,500£33,500£32,900 to £34,1009.57%
£500,000£50,000£1,500£51,500£50,900 to £52,10010.30%
£750,000£80,000£1,645£81,645£81,045 to £82,24510.89%
£1,000,000£113,750£1,645£115,395£114,795 to £115,99511.54%
£1,500,000£198,750£1,850£200,600£200,000 to £201,20013.37%
Worked out by the Buying Costs engine with the rules in force on 2 Nov 2026. Sources: GOV.UK: Stamp Duty Land Tax, buying an additional residential property (updated 1 April 2025) (checked 2 Nov 2026); HMRC SDLTM09960: reclaiming the non-resident surcharge by amending the return (checked 2 Nov 2026); GOV.UK: Stamp Duty Land Tax, residential property rates (checked 2 Nov 2026); Which?: Conveyancing, what it is and what it costs (29 May 2026) (checked 2 Nov 2026); HouseCheckup: conveyancing searches compared (standard pack, 2026) (checked 2 Nov 2026); HM Land Registry: registration services fees, Scale 1 (updated 28 April 2025) (checked 2 Nov 2026); The Land Registration Fee Order 2024 (SI 2024/931) (checked 2 Nov 2026); HMRC SDLTM29845: who is a first-time buyer (Finance Act 2003, Schedule 6ZA para 6) (checked 2 Nov 2026); Finance Act 2003, Schedule 4ZA (higher rates for additional dwellings; the £40,000 limits) (checked 2 Nov 2026); HMRC SDLTM09885: non-resident surcharge, spouses and civil partners of UK residents (checked 2 Nov 2026); HM Treasury: Budget 2026, overview of tax legislation and rates, Annex A (SDLT unchanged since 1 April 2025; 28 October 2026) (checked 2 Nov 2026).

How situations change it

Each row changes one thing from a tax-resident buyer of a £350,000 resale main home (£9,000 on top). Only the situations England's rules look at are listed.

England, £350,000, rules in force on 2 November 2026
SituationTaxesTotal on topAgainst the baselineLink
Baseline: tax-resident, resale main home£7,500£9,000Open in the calculator
Buyer not tax-resident there£14,500£16,000£7,000 moreOpen in the calculator
Second home£7,500£9,000No changeOpen in the calculator
Investment£7,500£9,000No changeOpen in the calculator
Already owns another home£25,000£26,500£17,500 moreOpen in the calculator
Replacing the main home, old one sold by completion£7,500£9,000No changeOpen in the calculator
First-time buyer£2,500£4,000£5,000 lessOpen in the calculator
The calculator's starting case: not resident, second home, owns another home£32,000£33,500£24,500 moreOpen in the calculator

Compare England

The same buyer and price side by side in the compare tool, and the written comparisons.

In the compare tool

Comparison guides

  • Where buying costs are lowestFor a tax-resident buyer of a main home, Madeira and the Azores have the lowest buying taxes of the euro places on cheaper and mid-priced homes, then mainland Portugal; on expensive homes Madrid comes first. Catalonia has the highest. For a non-resident, Madrid comes first, because Spain has no non-resident surcharge and Portugal charges a flat 7.5% IMT. For a new build, Portugal is cheapest. England, in pounds, takes a small share of the price for a resident home mover, but a large one for a buyer who already owns a home.
  • Spain vs EnglandFor a resident buying their main home, England's stamp duty is a smaller share of the price than Spain's transfer tax, because England's bands start at 0% while Spanish regions charge 6% to 10% or more from the first euro. A buyer who already owns a home anywhere pays 5% extra in England from the first pound, so a second home in England can cost more than one in Madrid or Andalusia. New builds cost more in Spain, where they pay 10% VAT.
  • Portugal vs EnglandA UK resident who already owns a home and buys a second one pays England's standard bands plus 5% of the price. The same buyer in Portugal is a non-resident there, so they pay a flat 7.5% IMT plus 0.8% stamp duty. On cheaper homes England usually takes the smaller share of the price; as the price rises England's share climbs past Portugal's flat rate. A buyer who moves to Portugal within two years can reclaim most of the IMT.

England buying costs: questions

How much does it cost to buy a £350,000 home in England?

For a tax-resident buyer of a resale main home, the taxes are £7,500 and typical fees £1,500: £9,000 on top of the price. For a 350,000 resale second home, buyer not tax-resident there who already owns a home, it is £33,500. Both use the rules in force on 2 November 2026.

Which taxes do you pay when buying a home in England?

The rules hold 4 purchase taxes: Stamp Duty Land Tax; Stamp Duty Land Tax, first-time buyer relief; SDLT higher rates for an additional home (+5%); SDLT non-resident surcharge (+2%). Which ones apply depends on the buyer and the property; the rate tables on this page say when each one does.

Do non-residents pay more to buy in England?

Yes. On a £350,000 resale main home, a buyer who is not tax-resident pays £16,000 on top of the price, £7,000 more than a resident buyer.

Is stamp duty different in London?

No. Stamp Duty Land Tax has one set of bands for the whole of England, London included: a £350,000 resale main home costs £7,500 in SDLT for a resident buyer who owns no other home, wherever it is in England. First-time buyer relief, the 5% higher rates and the 2% non-resident surcharge are the same everywhere. Scotland and Wales have their own taxes.

Are the fees exact?

No. Notary, registry and lawyer fees are typical market figures, shown with a low and a high end. On the starting case the fees are £1,500, and could be £900 to £2,100. Taxes are worked out exactly from the rules.

Which date are the rules from?

The calculator uses the rules in force on the purchase date you enter. Today that is the version in force since 1 April 2025, due for review by 1 April 2027. Change the purchase date to see an earlier or later version.

Related guides and calculators

Guides

  • Does buying give residency?No. Buying a home does not by itself give a right to live in Portugal, Spain or the UK, or a path to citizenship. Portugal stopped accepting golden visa applications based on buying property from 7 October 2023 (Lei 56/2023), Spain abolished its investor visa, property route included, from 3 April 2025 (Ley Orgánica 1/2025), and the UK has no visa based on buying a home. Owning a home does not make the buyer tax resident either.
  • Stamp duty (SDLT)Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) is charged in slices: nothing on the first £125,000, 2% up to £250,000, 5% up to £925,000, 10% up to £1.5 million and 12% above. A buyer who owns no other home pays £5,000 on a £300,000 home. These bands have applied since 1 April 2025 and the October 2026 Budget left them unchanged.
  • EnglandA buyer in England pays Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) in bands from 0% to 12%, plus conveyancing, searches and a Land Registry fee. A buyer who owns no other home pays £5,000 of SDLT on a £300,000 home; first-time buyers pay nothing up to £300,000; buyers who already own a home pay 5% of the price more, and non-residents 2% more.
  • First-time buyersA first-time buyer in England pays no Stamp Duty Land Tax on the first £300,000 and 5% on the part from £300,001 to £500,000. Above £500,000 the relief is lost and the normal rates apply to the whole price. Every buyer must never have owned a home anywhere in the world, and must be buying it to live in.
  • Moving to EnglandSomeone who buys in England before becoming UK resident pays the 2% non-resident surcharge, and can claim it back within 2 years if they then spend 183 days in the UK within the time allowed. A buyer who still owns a home abroad also pays the 5% higher rates, unless that home was their main home and is sold within 3 years. Buyers who have never owned a home anywhere can get first-time buyer relief.
  • Second homes and buy to letA buyer who will own more than one home at the end of the completion day pays the higher rates: 5% on top of every SDLT band, so 5% of the whole price extra. On a £300,000 second home that is £20,000 in stamp duty instead of £5,000. Homes owned abroad count. A buyer replacing their main home can avoid it, or claim it back if the old home sells within 3 years.
  • Second home stamp duty refundYes, when the new home replaced the buyer's main home. A buyer who still owned their previous main home at completion pays the 5% higher rates, then gets them back by selling or giving away that home within 3 years and claiming from HMRC within 12 months of the sale, or of the new home's return filing date if later. On a £400,000 home the refund is £20,000. A holiday home or buy to let bought while keeping the main home gets no refund.
  • Buying as an AmericanBeing American does not change the purchase tax in Portugal, Spain or England: each taxes by residence, not nationality. A US citizen who does not live in the country pays Portugal's flat 7.5% IMT for non-residents or England's 2% stamp duty surcharge, both refundable after a move in time. Spain charges every buyer the same taxes, but a non-resident owner from outside the EU pays 24% each year on an imputed income from the home.
  • Buying after BrexitBrexit did not change the purchase taxes a British buyer pays in Spain or Portugal, because both charge by residence, not nationality. What changed is that people living in the UK are now outside the EU: since 1 January 2021 Spain taxes a UK-resident owner at 24% instead of 19% on the yearly imputed income from a holiday home, and Portugal requires a fiscal representative unless the owner signs up for electronic notifications. Portugal's flat 7.5% IMT for non-residents, from 25 May 2026, applies to every non-resident, not only to the British.
  • Costs by priceFor a buyer who owns no other home, stamp duty in England is £1,500 on a £200,000 home, £5,000 at £300,000, £15,000 at £500,000 and £43,750 at £1 million. First-time buyers pay less up to £500,000, buyers who already own a home pay 5% of the price more, and non-residents 2% more.
  • Conveyancing and feesBesides stamp duty, a buyer in England pays a conveyancer, the searches the conveyancer orders, and HM Land Registry's fee to register the new owner. Purchase quotes averaged about £1,500 including VAT and disbursements in mid 2026, according to reallymoving's index. The Land Registry fee is fixed by the price: £150 for a home from £200,001 to £500,000 registered online.
  • Non-resident surchargeA buyer who is not UK resident pays a 2% surcharge on the whole price on top of the normal Stamp Duty Land Tax. On a £350,000 home that is £7,000 more. A buyer who already owns a home also pays the 5% higher rates, so 7% on top of the standard bands.

Other countries

Rule versions

Each rule file keeps its versions with the day they start and end. The calculator uses the version in force on your purchase date, so a past or upcoming change shows up when you change the date.

The starting case (£350,000, as in the calculator above) on the first day of each version
Purchase dateRules usedTaxesTotal on top
31 Oct 2024United Kingdom from 1 Jan 2024, England from 31 Oct 2024£29,500£31,000
9 Dec 2024United Kingdom from 9 Dec 2024, England from 31 Oct 2024£29,500£31,000
1 Apr 2025United Kingdom from 9 Dec 2024, England from 1 Apr 2025£32,000£33,500
2 Nov 2026 (today)United Kingdom from 9 Dec 2024, England from 1 Apr 2025£32,000£33,500

  1. England

    1 Apr 2025 to no end date

    In force

    Starts from the version of 31 Oct 2024 and lists only what changed:

    • Changed: Stamp Duty Land Tax (when it applies, bands, source)
    • Changed: Stamp Duty Land Tax, first-time buyer relief (when it applies, bands, source)

    Next review due 1 Apr 2027.

    Source: GOV.UK: Stamp Duty Land Tax, residential property rates, checked 2 Nov 2026, official source

    Source: HMRC SDLTM29845: who is a first-time buyer (Finance Act 2003, Schedule 6ZA para 6), checked 2 Nov 2026, official source

    Source: Finance Act 2003, Schedule 4ZA (higher rates for additional dwellings; the £40,000 limits), checked 2 Nov 2026, official source

    Source: HMRC SDLTM09885: non-resident surcharge, spouses and civil partners of UK residents, checked 2 Nov 2026, official source

    Source: HM Treasury: Budget 2026, overview of tax legislation and rates, Annex A (SDLT unchanged since 1 April 2025; 28 October 2026), checked 2 Nov 2026, official source

  2. United Kingdom

    9 Dec 2024 to no end date

    In force

    Starts from the version of 1 Jan 2024 and lists only what changed:

    • Added: HM Land Registry fee (Scale 1)
    • Removed: HM Land Registry fee

    Source: The Land Registration Fee Order 2024 (SI 2024/931), checked 2 Nov 2026, official source

  3. England

    31 Oct 2024 to 31 Mar 2025

    Past

    Adds to or changes the rules for United Kingdom:

    • Added: Stamp Duty Land Tax
    • Added: Stamp Duty Land Tax, first-time buyer relief
    • Added: SDLT higher rates for an additional home (+5%)
    • Added: SDLT non-resident surcharge (+2%)

    Source: GOV.UK: SDLT temporary increase to thresholds (to 31 March 2025), checked 2 Nov 2026, official source

    Source: HMRC SDLTM29845: who is a first-time buyer (Finance Act 2003, Schedule 6ZA para 6), checked 2 Nov 2026, official source

    Source: Finance Act 2003, Schedule 4ZA (higher rates for additional dwellings; the £40,000 limits), checked 2 Nov 2026, official source

    Source: HMRC SDLTM09885: non-resident surcharge, spouses and civil partners of UK residents, checked 2 Nov 2026, official source

  4. United Kingdom

    1 Jan 2024 to 8 Dec 2024

    Past

    Sets out 3 lines: Conveyancing solicitor (market rate); Local searches; HM Land Registry fee.

Not confirmed yet

Nothing in the rules for England is flagged as not confirmed.

Sources

Every page these rules cite, with the day it was last checked.