The housing market is set for its busiest period of the year during the spring when more homeowners typically list their home and the longer days boost buyer demand.
Even though mortgage rates may have dropped since the height of the cost of living crisis, there are still lots of expenses when it comes to buying a property.
It is still crucial to know exactly how much you may need to pay in additional fees and taxes. One of the most costly of these extras is stamp duty.
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The property tax - which some describe as the “worst tax in Britain” - has changed several times since 2020, with a stamp duty holiday up to a purchase price of £500,000 during the pandemic blamed for soaring house prices.
The market was hit with the latest change in April 2025 when thresholds dropped from £425,000 to £300,000 for first-time buyers and from £250,000 to £125,000 for home movers from April.
The thresholds had been raised during former chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng's mini Budget in September 2022.
So, what can you expect to pay in stamp duty? We’ve got all the latest information, as well as a stamp duty calculator.
Stamp duty: how much will you pay?
Home buyers in England will see the amount of tax they pay vary depending on the price bracket or brackets their property falls into. First-time buyers get a discounted rate, while buyers in Scotland and Wales face a different form of tax (more on this below). Non-residential property or land is also subject to different taxes and rates.
Here’s what you will pay in stamp duty, depending on the value of the home you’re buying:
Swipe to scroll horizontally
England stamp duty rates
Property cost
Stamp duty rate per band
Up to £125,000
Zero
The portion from £125,001 to £250,000
2%
The portion from £250,001 to £925,000
5%
The portion from £925,001 to £1.5 million
10%
The portion above £1.5 million
12%
First-time buyers are exempt from paying stamp duty on the first £300,000 of a property purchase up to a maximum price of £500,000.
A rate of 5% applies on any portion from £300,001 to £500,000.
You can't claim first-time buyer stamp duty relief if the property price is more than £500,000.
There are higher stamp duty rates for additional properties; you will usually have to pay 5% on top of the stamp duty rates if purchasing a new residential property as a second home or to rent out.
How much property tax could you pay in Scotland and Wales?
Scotland and Wales have different property tax regimes. The devolved government in Edinburgh replaced stamp duty with the Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT) in 2015, while the Welsh government replaced it with the Land Transaction Tax (LTT) in 2018.
Land and Buildings Transaction Tax in Scotland
The rates of LBTT are set by the Scottish government and are locked in until 2026. Here’s what the bands look like:
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Scotland LBTT calculator
Property cost
LBTT rate per band
Max. you could pay per band
Up to £145,000
0%
£0
£145,001 to £250,000
2%
£2,100
£250,001 to £325,000
5%
£3,750
£325,001 to £750,000
10%
£42,500
Over £750,000
12%
£30,000*
*Assuming property price of £1m
First-time buyers are exempt from paying anything up to a value of £175,000. While all of these bands may sound low, property north of the border tends to be significantly cheaper than what you could pay in England and Wales.
Land Transaction Tax in Wales
The devolved administration in Cardiff does not offer special rates for first-time buyers. Here’s what you will pay in Wales:
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Wales LTT calculator
Property cost
LTT rate per band
Max. you could pay per band
Up to £225,000
0%
£0
£225,001 to £400,000
6%
£10,500
£400,001 to £750,000
7.5%
£26,250
£750,001 to £1.5m
10%
£75,000
Over £1.5m
12%
£60,000*
*Assuming property price of £2m
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Henry Sandercock has spent more than eight years as a journalist covering a wide variety of beats. Having studied for an MA in journalism at the University of Kent, he started his career in the garden of England as a reporter for local TV channel KMTV.
Henry then worked at the BBC for three years as a radio producer - mostly on BBC Radio 2 with Jeremy Vine, but also on major BBC Radio 4 programmes like The World at One, PM and Broadcasting House. Switching to print media, he covered fresh foods for respected magazine The Grocer for two years.
After moving to NationalWorld.com - a national news site run by the publisher of The Scotsman and Yorkshire Post - Henry began reporting on the cost of living crisis, becoming the title’s money editor in early 2023. He covered everything from the energy crisis to scams, and inflation. He also has bylines in MoneyWeek.
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