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.
Key facts
- There is no first-time buyer relief in Wales, unlike England.
- No LTT is due on the first £225,000 for any buyer who owns no other home.
- Above £225,000 the slices are taxed at 6%, then 7.5% from £400,000.
- A first-time buyer in England pays nothing up to £300,000; in Wales the 6% starts at £225,000.
Is there first-time buyer relief in Wales?
No. The Welsh Revenue Authority’s guide says it plainly: there is no first-time buyers’ relief in Wales. Land Transaction Tax looks only at whether the buyer will own another home, so a first-time buyer pays the main rates, the same as anyone moving home who owns no other.
What helps first-time buyers is the nil band: nothing is due on the first £225,000, higher than England’s standard nil band.
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.
How much does a first-time buyer pay 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% |
| £200,000 | £0 | £1,450 | £1,450 | £850 to £2,050 | 0.73% |
| £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% |
| £275,000 | £3,000 | £1,500 | £4,500 | £3,900 to £5,100 | 1.64% |
| £300,000 | £4,500 | £1,500 | £6,000 | £5,400 to £6,600 | 2.00% |
| £350,000 | £7,500 | £1,500 | £9,000 | £8,400 to £9,600 | 2.57% |
| £400,000 | £10,500 | £1,500 | £12,000 | £11,400 to £12,600 | 3.00% |
On a £250,000 home that is £1,500, and on a £300,000 home £4,500. The totals add the conveyancing, searches and Land Registry fee.
Do first-time buyers pay less in Wales or England?
In England a first-time buyer pays nothing up to £300,000, on homes up to £500,000. So at most first-time prices England is cheaper:
| Price | Wales (LTT) | England (SDLT, first-time buyer) |
|---|---|---|
| £200,000 | £0 | £0 |
| £250,000 | £1,500 | £0 |
| £300,000 | £4,500 | £0 |
| £400,000 | £10,500 | £5,000 |
The tax depends on where the home is, not on where the buyer lives: a first-time buyer moving from England to Wales pays LTT.
What if the buyer is buying with someone who owns a home?
Then the purchase is not a first-time purchase for LTT at all: if any buyer, or a buyer’s spouse or civil partner, will own another home worth £40,000 or more, the higher rates apply to the whole price. See second homes in Wales.
What this guide does not cover
- Shared ownership and other assisted purchase schemes.
- Mortgage, survey and moving costs.
Questions people ask
Is stamp duty free for first-time buyers in Wales?
Up to £225,000 it is free for everyone who owns no other home, first-time buyer or not. Wales charges Land Transaction Tax, not stamp duty, and has no separate first-time buyer relief, so above £225,000 a first-time buyer pays the main rates.
How much LTT does a first-time buyer pay on £250,000 in Wales?
£1,500: 6% on the part of the price above £225,000. The same home in England costs a first-time buyer nothing in stamp duty.
Do first-time buyers pay less in Wales or England?
Less in England, which has a first-time buyer relief: nothing up to £300,000. In Wales a first-time buyer pays £4,500 on a £300,000 home. Above £500,000 England's relief stops and the comparison changes.
What counts as a first-time buyer in Wales?
For LTT it makes no difference: the tax looks only at whether the buyer will own another home. Someone who owned a home before, sold it and owns none now pays the same main rates.
Sources
- Land Transaction Tax: guide (there is no first-time buyers' relief in Wales)Welsh Revenue Authority
- Land Transaction Tax rates and bandsWelsh Government
- Stamp Duty Land Tax: residential property rates (first-time buyer relief in England)GOV.UK (HM Revenue and Customs)
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