Stamp Duty (SDLT) 2026: bands, first-time buyer relief, the 5% second-home surcharge and the 2% non-resident surcharge with worked examples
Published: Last checked: October 20264 min read
Short answer
In England SDLT is 0% up to £125,000, then 2%, 5% from £250,000, 10% from £925,000 and 12% above £1.5 million. First-time buyers pay nothing up to £300,000 (no relief if the price exceeds £500,000). Additional homes pay +5%, non-residents +2%. Worked examples included.
In short
- This post is general information, not legal, financial or tax advice. It is based on GOV.UK and other official pages as they were on 18 October 2026 and applies to England; Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have different rules and taxes.
- Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) is the tax paid when buying residential property in England and Northern Ireland. Wales uses Land Transaction Tax and Scotland Land and Buildings Transaction Tax.
- According to GOV.UK, SDLT is payable when the property is worth £125,000 or more; first-time buyers pay no SDLT on £300,000 or less.
- The tax is worked out by slicing the price into bands; one rate is not applied to the whole price (except for the additional dwelling and non-resident surcharges).
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Official sources
This answer is based on the pages below. Check the source yourself before you decide.
- GOV.UK: Stamp Duty Land Tax, residential property rates
- GOV.UK: Buying a home, tax
- GOV.UK: Buying a home
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