Stamp Duty Land Tax in England (2026): the bands and how they work

How much stamp duty do you pay in England?

Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) is the tax on buying a home in England. It is worked out in slices, like income tax: each rate applies only to the part of the price that falls inside its band. For a buyer who owns no other home, the bands in force since 1 April 2025 are:

Stamp Duty Land Tax

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

Stamp Duty Land Tax: bands

Slice of the value	Rate on that slice
up to £125,000	0%
£125,000 to £250,000	2%
£250,000 to £925,000	5%
£925,000 to £1,500,000	10%
over £1,500,000	12%

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.

On a £300,000 home that comes to £5,000: nothing on the first £125,000, 2% on the slice up to £250,000, and 5% on the rest.

How is stamp duty worked out on the price?

HMRC’s own example on the GOV.UK rates page is a £295,000 home. The engine gives the same answer: £4,750. The slices are:

Slice of the price	Rate	Tax on the slice
Up to £125,000	0%	nothing
The next part, up to £250,000	2%	£2,500
The rest, up to £295,000	5%	the rest of the total
Total		£4,750

Because only the top slice is charged at the top rate, the share of the price paid in tax rises slowly. The table below shows it at several prices, together with the usual fees.

England by price: main home, tax-resident, no other home

Price	Taxes	Fees, typical	Total on top	Estimate range	Share of price
£125,000	£0	£1,450	£1,450	£850 to £2,050	1.16%
£250,000	£2,500	£1,500	£4,000	£3,400 to £4,600	1.60%
£300,000	£5,000	£1,500	£6,500	£5,900 to £7,100	2.17%
£400,000	£10,000	£1,500	£11,500	£10,900 to £12,100	2.88%
£500,000	£15,000	£1,500	£16,500	£15,900 to £17,100	3.30%
£925,000	£36,250	£1,645	£37,895	£37,295 to £38,495	4.10%
£1,500,000	£93,750	£1,850	£95,600	£95,000 to £96,200	6.37%
£2,000,000	£153,750	£1,850	£155,600	£155,000 to £156,200	7.78%

Which rates apply to your purchase?

The table above is for a buyer who lives in the UK, will not own any other home after the purchase, and is not a first-time buyer. Three situations change it:

Situation	What changes	Guide
First-time buyer	Nothing up to £300,000, then 5%, on homes up to £500,000	First-time buyers
Already owns a home anywhere	5% on top of every band	Second homes
Not UK resident	2% on top of every band	Non-resident surcharge

On the same £300,000 home, the stamp duty is:

Buyer	SDLT on £300,000
Owns no other home, lives in the UK	£5,000
First-time buyer	£0
Already owns another home	£20,000
Not UK resident, owns no other home	£11,000
Not UK resident and owns another home	£26,000

Did the stamp duty bands change in April 2025?

Yes. A temporary cut ran from 23 September 2022 to 31 March 2025. For purchases with an effective date from 1 April 2025, the zero band went back down and the 2% band returned (GOV.UK, temporary increase to thresholds). First-time buyer relief shrank at the same time.

	Until 31 March 2025	From 1 April 2025
Zero band ends at	£250,000	£125,000
Tax on a £300,000 home	£2,500	£5,000
First-time buyer zero band ends at	£425,000	£300,000
First-time buyer relief stops above	£625,000	£500,000

The October 2026 Budget did not change the rates. HM Treasury’s overview of tax rates published on 28 October 2026 lists the same bands “from 1 April 2025” and announces no change for home purchases.

Is it the exchange date or the completion date that counts?

Completion. The law sets the “effective date” of a purchase as the date of completion (Finance Act 2003, section 119). It can come earlier if the contract is “substantially performed” first, for example if the buyer moves in or pays most of the price before completion. The rates in force on the effective date are the ones that apply.

When do you pay stamp duty, and who sends the return?

The buyer must send an SDLT return to HMRC within 14 days after the effective date (Finance Act 2003, section 76), and the tax is due by the same day (section 86). GOV.UK says a solicitor, agent or conveyancer usually files the return and pays the tax on the buyer’s behalf on the day of completion, and adds it to their bill. A buyer can also file and pay themselves.

A return is needed for every purchase of £40,000 or more, even when no tax is due, for example a first-time buyer below the relief’s zero band (section 77A). If the return is late, the penalty is £100 within three months of the deadline and £200 after that (Schedule 10, paragraph 3), and HMRC charges interest on tax paid late.

Do you pay stamp duty on a new build?

Yes, at the same rates. SDLT depends on the price and the buyer, not on the age of the home. New homes in England are sold without VAT: a builder’s first sale of a new dwelling is zero rated (HMRC VAT Notice 708, section 4). So for the buyer, a new build and a resale at the same price carry the same tax.

Does stamp duty apply in Scotland and Wales?

No. Scotland charges Land and Buildings Transaction Tax and Wales charges Land Transaction Tax, each with its own bands and surcharges. Northern Ireland uses SDLT with the same rates as England. This site calculates England only.

What this guide does not cover

• Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland (see above).
• Companies and other non-natural persons, which have a separate single rate on expensive homes.
• Shared ownership, new leases and the tax on rent, buying several homes at once, and mixed-use or non-residential property.
• Surveys, mortgage fees and removals. For the other fees on a purchase, see conveyancing and fees in England.

Work out stamp duty on your own price