2026–27 guide
Stamp Duty Rates 2026-27: What You Pay on Your Property Purchase
Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) is charged on property and land purchases in England and Northern Ireland. The rates are banded, so each rate applies only to the slice of the price inside that band. This guide sets out the 2026/27 rates, the reliefs and surcharges, and worked examples you can check against the calculator.
How the standard bands work
SDLT is progressive: the rate on each band applies only to the part of the price that falls inside it. For a main home the rates are 0% up to £125,000, 2% from £125,001 to £250,000, 5% from £250,001 to £925,000, 10% from £925,001 to £1.5 million and 12% above £1.5 million.
For a £350,000 purchase, the first £125,000 is taxed at 0%, the next £125,000 at 2% and the remaining £100,000 at 5%. That is £0, £2,500 and £5,000, a total of £7,500. The average rate on the whole price is about 2.1%, well below the 5% rate on the top slice.
First time buyer relief
First time buyers pay 0% on the first £300,000 and 5% on the portion from £300,001 to £500,000, provided the purchase is their only main residence and neither buyer has owned a residential property anywhere in the world. A first time buyer paying £400,000 pays 5% on £100,000, which is £5,000. If the price is above £500,000 there is no relief at all, and the standard rates apply to the whole price.
Joint buyers must both qualify. The calculator applies the buyer type you choose and does not check eligibility, so confirm the rules with HMRC or your conveyancer.
Additional property surcharge
Buying a second home or a buy to let property adds a 5 percentage point surcharge to every band, in place since 31 October 2024. The rates become 5%, 7%, 10%, 15% and 17%. For a £350,000 purchase, £125,000 is taxed at 5% (£6,250), the next £125,000 at 7% (£8,750) and the final £100,000 at 10% (£10,000), a total of £25,000.
Whether a property counts as an additional dwelling depends on what you already own and on any replacement of a main residence, and there are exceptions and refund rules. Ask your conveyancer where your situation is not straightforward. Buyers who are not UK resident may also pay a further 2% surcharge, which this calculator does not include.
A few worked examples
At £200,000 a main home buyer pays 2% on £75,000, which is £1,500. At £600,000 the tax is £2,500 on the 2% band plus 5% on £350,000, which is £17,500, a total of £20,000. A first time buyer at £300,000 pays nothing, and at £450,000 pays £7,500.
Stamp Duty is one cost among many. Legal fees, surveys, mortgage fees and moving costs add to the total, and the completion date and any linked transactions can affect the calculation.
England and Northern Ireland only
This calculator covers SDLT for England and Northern Ireland. Scotland charges Land and Buildings Transaction Tax and Wales charges Land Transaction Tax, each with its own rates, so do not use this estimate for a property in those nations.
The calculator shows how much of the price falls into each band and the tax on each slice, so you can see where the total comes from.
Using the Stamp Duty calculator
Enter the purchase price and choose first time buyer, main home or additional property. Check the band by band breakdown before you use the figure in a budget.
For a purchase, confirm the figure with your conveyancer, who normally files the SDLT return and pays HMRC on completion. ClearPounds is an independent tool and does not provide financial or tax advice.