Buying a house in Wales (2026): every cost on top of the price
A buyer in Wales pays Land Transaction Tax (LTT) in bands from 0% to 12%, plus conveyancing, searches and a Land Registry fee. A buyer who owns no other home pays £4,500 of LTT on a £300,000 home. There is no first-time buyer relief, and a buyer who already owns a home pays the higher rates instead: £19,950 on the same home.
Key facts
- LTT bands: 0% to £225,000, 6% to £400,000, 7.5% to £750,000, 10% to £1.5 million, 12% above.
- A buyer who will own another home worth £40,000 or more pays the higher rates, from 5% to 17%, on the whole price.
- Wales has no first-time buyer relief and no non-resident surcharge.
- The LTT return and payment are due within 30 days of the day after completion, usually filed by the conveyancer.
- Land Registry fees, conveyancing and searches work as in England.
What do you pay on top of the price in Wales?
Four costs come with almost every purchase in Wales. One is a tax; three are fees, the same as in England.
| Cost | What it is | How much |
|---|---|---|
| Land Transaction Tax (LTT) | The purchase tax, paid by the buyer | Set by bands and by whether the buyer owns another home |
| Conveyancing | The solicitor or licensed conveyancer’s legal work | Market price |
| Searches | Council, water and environmental checks | Market price; councils set their own fees |
| HM Land Registry fee | Registering the buyer as owner | Fixed scale by price, shared with England |
For a buyer who will own no other home, a £300,000 home costs:
| Line | Kind | Amount | Estimate range | Share of price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Land Transaction Tax | Tax | £4,500 | 1.50% | |
| Conveyancing solicitor (market rate) | Fee, estimate | £1,000 | £500 to £1,500 | 0.33% |
| Local searches | Fee, estimate | £350 | £250 to £450 | 0.12% |
| HM Land Registry fee (Scale 1) | Fee | £150 | 0.05% | |
| Taxes | £4,500 | 1.50% | ||
| Fees, typical | £1,500 | £900 to £2,100 | 0.50% | |
| Total on top of the price | £6,000 | £5,400 to £6,600 | 2.00% |
How much is Land Transaction Tax in Wales in 2026?
LTT is worked out in slices, like stamp duty in England. Each rate applies only to the part of the price inside its band, and nothing is due on the first £225,000:
Land Transaction Tax
Charged in bands on the price: each slice is taxed at its own rate.
| Slice of the value | Rate on that slice |
|---|---|
| up to £225,000 | 0% |
| £225,000 to £400,000 | 6% |
| £400,000 to £750,000 | 7.5% |
| £750,000 to £1,500,000 | 10% |
| over £1,500,000 | 12% |
Applies when except when the buyer already owns a home, the buyer is not replacing a main home already sold by completion and the price is £40,000 or more.
So a £300,000 home pays £4,500, and a £500,000 home £18,000. The Land Transaction Tax guide explains the bands, the return and how LTT differs from stamp duty.
How does the buyer’s situation change the bill?
Only one situation changes LTT: owning another home.
| Situation | Effect | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Will own another home worth £40,000 or more | The higher rates, from 5% to 17%, replace the main rates on the whole price, from £40,000 | Second homes in Wales |
| First-time buyer | No relief: the main rates apply | First-time buyers in Wales |
| Not UK resident | No surcharge: the main rates apply | |
| Replacing a main home sold in the 3 years before | The main rates apply | Second homes in Wales |
On a £300,000 home:
| Buyer | LTT |
|---|---|
| Owns no other home | £4,500 |
| First-time buyer | £4,500 |
| Not UK resident, owns no other home | £4,500 |
| Already owns a home | £19,950 |
New builds pay the same LTT as older homes. Nationality plays no part.
What does buying cost at different prices?
| Price | Taxes | Fees, typical | Total on top | Estimate range | Share of price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £150,000 | £0 | £1,450 | £1,450 | £850 to £2,050 | 0.97% |
| £225,000 | £0 | £1,500 | £1,500 | £900 to £2,100 | 0.67% |
| £250,000 | £1,500 | £1,500 | £3,000 | £2,400 to £3,600 | 1.20% |
| £300,000 | £4,500 | £1,500 | £6,000 | £5,400 to £6,600 | 2.00% |
| £400,000 | £10,500 | £1,500 | £12,000 | £11,400 to £12,600 | 3.00% |
| £500,000 | £18,000 | £1,500 | £19,500 | £18,900 to £20,100 | 3.90% |
| £750,000 | £36,750 | £1,645 | £38,395 | £37,795 to £38,995 | 5.12% |
| £1,000,000 | £61,750 | £1,645 | £63,395 | £62,795 to £63,995 | 6.34% |
Below £225,000 a buyer who owns no other home pays no LTT at all; the costs are the fees.
How much are conveyancing, searches and the Land Registry fee?
They work as in England. HM Land Registry covers England and Wales, and the Land Registration Fee Order 2024 sets one scale for both: for a whole title applied for online it runs from £20 to £500. Conveyancing and searches are market prices; each Welsh council sets its own local search fee. reallymoving’s UK-wide index of conveyancing quotes put the average purchase at £1,509 in April to June 2026, including VAT and disbursements; it publishes no separate figure for Wales (a secondary source). The England conveyancing and fees guide has the full scale and what the estimates include.
What is the buying process in Wales, step by step?
| Step | What happens | Money |
|---|---|---|
| Offer accepted | Buyer instructs a conveyancer | Some firms ask for money on account for searches |
| Searches and enquiries | Conveyancer checks the title, orders searches | Search fees |
| Exchange of contracts | The sale becomes binding | The deposit (part of the price) |
| Completion | The price is paid and the keys handed over | Balance of the price; conveyancer’s bill |
| Within 30 days of the day after completion | Deadline for the LTT return and payment to the Welsh Revenue Authority | LTT |
| After completion | Conveyancer registers the buyer at HM Land Registry | Land Registry fee |
Solicitors and conveyancers file LTT returns online; a buyer without one asks the Welsh Revenue Authority for a paper return. A return is needed even when no tax is due, unless an exception applies. A late return costs £100, then an extra £300 or 5% of the unpaid tax, whichever is greater, at 6 months and again at 12 months.
What does owning a second home in Wales cost after buying?
LTT is a one-off cost at purchase. Owning a second home can also cost more every year: since 1 April 2023 Welsh councils can charge a council tax premium of up to 300% on second homes, each council choosing its own level. Check the council where the home is.
How does Wales compare with England?
For a buyer who owns no other home, LTT is lower than England’s stamp duty on a £300,000 home, and higher on dearer homes. First-time buyers pay less in England, buyers living abroad pay less in Wales, and second-home buyers pay about the same. Wales or England puts them side by side.
What this section does not cover
- Companies, which always pay the higher rates.
- Buying several homes in one transaction, leases, and mixed-use or non-residential property.
- Surveys, mortgage fees, removals and the seller’s costs.
- Council tax beyond the second home premium.
Taxes and fees
- Land Transaction Tax in Wales (2026): rates, bands and the return
Land Transaction Tax is the purchase tax in Wales. A buyer who owns no other home pays nothing on the first £225,000, then 6%, 7.5%, 10% and 12% on the slices above: £4,500 on a £300,000 home and £18,000 on a £500,000 home. A buyer who owns another home pays the higher rates instead.
Buyer situations
- Buying a second home in Wales (2026): LTT higher rates, refunds and holiday homes
A buyer who will own another home worth £40,000 or more pays Land Transaction Tax at the higher rates, from 5% to 17% on the whole price: £19,950 on a £300,000 home, against £4,500 at the main rates. A buyer replacing a main home pays the main rates if the old one was sold in the 3 years before, or can claim the difference back if it sells within 3 years after.
- First-time buyers in Wales (2026): Land Transaction Tax without a relief
No. Wales has no first-time buyer relief: first-time buyers pay Land Transaction Tax at the same main rates as anyone who owns no other home. Nothing is due up to £225,000, so many first homes pay none; above that a first-time buyer pays £1,500 on a £250,000 home and £4,500 on a £300,000 home.
Questions people ask
How much does it cost to buy a house in Wales on top of the price?
The main cost is Land Transaction Tax: £4,500 on a £300,000 home for a buyer who owns no other home, and nothing up to £225,000. Then conveyancing, searches and a Land Registry fee, which work as in England.
Do you pay stamp duty when buying a house in Wales?
No. Since 1 April 2018 Wales has charged Land Transaction Tax instead of Stamp Duty Land Tax. It works the same way, in bands on the price, but with its own bands and rates, run by the Welsh Revenue Authority.
Is buying a house in Wales different to England?
The legal process, the Land Registry and the fees are the same. The tax is different: Wales charges LTT, with a higher nil band than England's SDLT, no first-time buyer relief, no non-resident surcharge, and a separate table of higher rates for buyers who already own a home.
When is Land Transaction Tax paid?
The return and the tax are due within 30 days of the day after completion. The conveyancer usually files it online and pays from the buyer's funds. A late return costs £100, and more after 6 months.
Can foreigners buy property in Wales?
Yes. Nationality and residence do not change LTT: a buyer living abroad pays the same rates as a buyer living in Wales. Owning a home anywhere else does: it brings in the higher rates.
Sources
- Land Transaction Tax rates and bandsWelsh Government
- Tax penalties: filing or paying lateWelsh Revenue Authority
- The Land Registration Fee Order 2024 (England and Wales)legislation.gov.uk
Behind the figures
Every amount on this page is worked out by the engine from rule files that cite these pages.
- Which?: Conveyancing, what it is and what it costs (29 May 2026)Secondary source
- The Land Registration Fee Order 2024 (SI 2024/931)Official source