How much stamp duty will I pay in 2026?
Stamp Duty Land Tax is the bill nobody budgets for properly, and since the thresholds dropped back in April 2025 it bites harder than many buyers remember. Here is how it works in 2026, and a free calculator that gives you your number in seconds.
The rates in England and Northern Ireland
- 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
- 12% above £1.5 million
The rates work in slices, like income tax. On a £350,000 home you pay nothing on the first £125,000, 2% on the next £125,000 and 5% on the final £100,000: £7,500 in total, an effective rate of about 2.1%.
First-time buyers get a real break
Buy your first home for £300,000 or less and you pay no SDLT at all. Between £300,000 and £500,000 you pay 5% only on the part above £300,000. But cross £500,000 by a single pound and the relief vanishes completely, with standard rates applying to the whole price. Around that cliff edge, negotiation is worth thousands.
The 5% surcharge on additional properties
Buying a second home or a buy-to-let adds a 5% surcharge on the entire price, on top of the standard bands. That £350,000 purchase becomes £25,000 of SDLT instead of £7,500. Non-UK resident buyers add a further 2%. This is why the structure conversation, personal name or limited company, should happen before you make an offer, not after.
Run your own numbers
Our stamp duty calculator covers movers, first-time buyers, additional properties and non-resident buyers. And if your purchase is anything other than simple, from mixed-use buildings to buying through a company, talk to us before exchange: SDLT mistakes are expensive and mostly avoidable.
