How much stamp duty will I pay?
Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) is charged in bands on property purchases in England and Northern Ireland. You pay nothing on the first £250,000, then 5% on the slice up to £925,000, 10% up to £1.5m and 12% above that. So a £290,000 home costs £2,000 in stamp duty, while a first-time buyer pays £0 — nothing, because there's no SDLT for first-time buyers below £300,000.
The standard SDLT bands (2025/26)
| Portion of price | Rate |
|---|---|
| Up to £250,000 | 0% |
| £250,001 to £925,000 | 5% |
| £925,001 to £1.5m | 10% |
| Above £1.5m | 12% |
Worked examples
| Price | Standard | First-time buyer | Additional property |
|---|---|---|---|
| £250,000 | £0 | £0 | £12,500 |
| £290,000 | £2,000 | £0 | £16,500 |
| £350,000 | £5,000 | £2,500 | £22,500 |
| £500,000 | £12,500 | £10,000 | £37,500 |
| £750,000 | £25,000 | £25,000 | £62,500 |
SDLT due at each price for a standard buyer, a first-time buyer, and an additional-property purchase (+5% surcharge).
The rules that change your bill
- First-time buyers pay nothing up to £300,000 and 5% on the portion from £300,000 to £500,000 — but the relief disappears entirely if the price is above £500,000.
- Buying an additional property (second home or buy-to-let) adds a 5% surcharge on top of every band.
- Stamp duty is paid on completion, usually handled by your conveyancer, and is due within 14 days.
- Scotland (LBTT) and Wales (LTT) have their own separate systems with different thresholds.
True Bricks calculates your exact SDLT for any property — applying first-time-buyer relief or the additional-property surcharge automatically — and folds it into the full upfront and ongoing cost picture.
Frequently asked
How much stamp duty do I pay on a £290,000 house?
£2,000 as a standard buyer (5% on the £40,000 above the £250,000 threshold). A first-time buyer pays £0.
How is stamp duty calculated?
It's tiered: each portion of the price is taxed at its band rate, not the whole price at one rate. You pay 0% up to £250,000, 5% from £250,000 to £925,000, 10% to £1.5m and 12% above.
Do first-time buyers pay stamp duty?
Not below £300,000. Between £300,000 and £500,000 they pay 5% on the excess; above £500,000 the relief no longer applies and standard rates are used.
How much is the stamp duty surcharge on a second home?
An extra 5% on top of the standard rate for every band, applied to the whole purchase price when you're buying an additional residential property.
Want exact figures for a specific property? Analyse any UK address →
Figures use True Bricks' standard cost model with UK rates as of the 2025/26 year — mortgage maths, the English average Band D council tax, Ofgem energy unit rates, current SDLT bands, and rebuild-based insurance and age-based maintenance. Estimates, not financial advice. Last reviewed June 2026.