Stamp duty calculator — England, Scotland and Wales
Stamp duty across all three UK tax systems, with first-time buyer relief, the £500,000 cliff, and the surcharge on second homes.
Covers 2026-27 · rates as at 2026-04-01
Stamp Duty Land Tax payable
Estimate£7,000.00
2.06% of the price in England & Northern Ireland
- Before relief
- £7,000.00
- First-time buyer relief
- £0.00
- Additional property surcharge
- £0.00
| Purchase price | £340,000 |
|---|---|
| Stamp Duty Land Tax on the standard bands | £7,000.00 |
| Total payable | £7,000.00 |
- Each rate applies only to the slice of the price inside its band, so the headline rate is never charged on the whole purchase.
- Rates and thresholds differ across England, Scotland and Wales — check you have the right jurisdiction.
On £340,000 in England the first £125,000 is free, the next £125,000 is taxed at 2% and the remainder at 5% — the headline rate never applies to the whole price.
Do you qualify
How this is calculated
Three taxes, not one
England and Northern Ireland charge SDLT from £125,000. Scotland charges LBTT from £145,000 with a 12% top rate above £750,000. Wales charges LTT with a £225,000 nil-rate band and no first-time buyer relief at all.
duty = Σ (slice within band × band rate)The English first-time buyer cliff
Relief gives a £300,000 nil-rate band and 5% to £500,000 — but at £500,001 it vanishes completely and the standard bands apply. Relief caps duty at £10,000; without it the bill is £15,000, so one pound of price costs £5,000.
The surcharge hits the whole price
A second home or buy-to-let adds 5% in England and Wales and 8% in Scotland, charged on the entire purchase price rather than the amount above a threshold. On £340,000 that is £17,000 in England before any standard duty.
surcharge = full price × surcharge rateWorked example: £340,000 house in England, not a first-time buyer
| Where | England |
|---|---|
| Price | £340,000 |
| First-time buyer | No |
| First £125,000 | 0% |
|---|---|
| Next £125,000 | 2% |
| Remaining £90,000 | 5% |
The same purchase in Wales would fall entirely inside the £225,000 nil-rate band up to that point and then be charged at 6%, giving a materially different bill for an identical house.
What this assumes
- Residential freehold bought by an individual.
- UK resident — non-residents pay a further 2% surcharge in England.
- No multiple dwellings or mixed-use relief.
- Standard completion, no linked transactions.
Where this commonly goes wrong
- Non-UK residents pay a further 2% on top of everything else in England and Northern Ireland, which applies on days spent in the UK rather than on nationality.
- Owning any share of another property anywhere in the world can trigger the additional dwelling surcharge, including an inherited share.
- If you buy before selling your main home you pay the surcharge up front and reclaim it, but only if the old home sells within 36 months.
Questions
How much stamp duty will I pay on £340,000?
In England, nothing on the first £125,000, 2% on the next £125,000 and 5% on the remaining £90,000. In Wales the nil-rate band runs to £225,000 with 6% above, giving a different figure for the same house.
Do first-time buyers pay stamp duty?
In England, not below £300,000, then 5% to £500,000 — above which relief disappears entirely. Scotland raises the nil-rate band to £175,000 with no ceiling. Wales offers no first-time buyer relief at all.
What happens if I pay just over £500,000 as a first-time buyer?
You lose the relief completely and the standard bands apply. Duty goes from £10,000 to £15,000, so a single pound of price costs £5,000. Negotiating to £499,999 is worth far more than the £1 suggests.
How much is the second home surcharge?
5% in England and Wales and 8% in Scotland, charged on the entire purchase price rather than the excess. On £340,000 in England that is £17,000 on top of the standard duty.
Is stamp duty different in Scotland and Wales?
Entirely. Scotland charges LBTT from £145,000 and Wales charges LTT from £225,000, both devolved taxes with their own bands. Applying English SDLT rates outside England gives the wrong answer every time.
Can stamp duty be borrowed rather than paid upfront?
Not directly — lenders treat it as an upfront cost you must fund, so it comes out of your deposit. Borrowing more to cover it raises your loan-to-value and can push you into a worse rate band.
Related tools
Sources
General estimate based on published HMRC rates for 2026-27. Not tax advice. Confirm your position with HMRC or a qualified adviser.
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