UK Stamp Duty (SDLT) Calculator
Calculate how much Stamp Duty Land Tax you'll owe on a UK property purchase — with a band-by-band breakdown so you can see exactly where the money goes.
Your Stamp Duty
Band-by-band breakdown
| Band | Rate | Taxable in band | Tax |
|---|
SDLT covers England and Northern Ireland only. Scotland uses LBTT and Wales uses LTT with different bands.
How SDLT is calculated
Stamp Duty in England and Northern Ireland is charged in bands — a bit like income tax. Each slice of the property price falls into a band, and each band has its own rate. You only pay the higher rate on the portion of the price that sits inside that band, not on the whole purchase.
For example, a standard buyer buying at £350,000 doesn't pay 5% on the full amount. They pay 0% on the first £250,000, then 5% on the £100,000 above that — £5,000 in total, an effective rate of about 1.4%.
The three buyer categories
- Standard buyer: replacing your main home, and you've owned property before.
- First-time buyer: never owned property anywhere, and the price is below the first-time buyer cap. Gets a bigger nil-rate band.
- Additional / buy-to-let: after the purchase you'll own two or more residential properties. A flat surcharge is added to every band.
Related calculators
- Mortgage affordability calculator — how much house you can borrow for.
- Loan / mortgage payment calculator — monthly repayments once you've bought.
- Rent vs buy calculator — is buying actually the right move?
- VAT calculator — add or remove VAT on any UK price.
Frequently asked questions
What is Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT)?
SDLT is a tax paid by the buyer when purchasing property or land in England or Northern Ireland over a certain price. Scotland has LBTT and Wales has LTT instead — this calculator covers SDLT only. It's paid to HMRC within 14 days of completion and is usually handled by your solicitor.
How is stamp duty calculated?
It's charged in bands, not on the whole price. Each band has its own rate, and you only pay that rate on the portion of the price that falls inside it. That's why the effective rate you pay is much lower than the top-band rate. This calculator applies the current bands for standard buyers, first-time buyers, and those buying an additional property.
Am I a first-time buyer for SDLT?
You qualify if you (and anyone you're buying with) have never owned a residential property anywhere in the world, and the property will be your only or main home. If you're buying jointly and one of you has owned before, neither of you gets the relief. First-time buyer relief also has an upper price cap — this calculator applies it automatically.
When do I pay the additional / buy-to-let rate?
If, at the end of the day of completion, you own two or more residential properties and you're not replacing your main home, you pay a surcharge on top of the standard rates. This applies to buy-to-let purchases, second homes, and holiday homes. The surcharge is charged on the full purchase price, band by band.
Are the rates in this calculator current?
SDLT bands change with government budgets. This calculator uses the rates in force at the time it was last updated — always double-check with your solicitor or gov.uk before exchanging contracts. If HMRC has changed bands since, the underlying maths still works; only the thresholds move.