Stamp duty land tax is the tax on buying a home, and it is three taxes. England and Northern Ireland charge SDLT, Scotland charges the Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT), and Wales charges the Land Transaction Tax (LTT) — each set by a different parliament, each with its own bands, its own first-time buyer relief, and its own surcharge for additional properties. The differences are large enough that the same £500,000 purchase costs £15,000 in SDLT, £23,350 in LBTT, and £18,000 in LTT, and the comparison reverses at other prices. This guide states all three schedules, works the same purchase through each, and explains the reliefs and surcharges that move the figure more than the bands do. The calculator on this site models SDLT only, and says so on its page; the LBTT and LTT figures here are the comparison, not the calculator’s output.

Three taxes, one purchase: the comparison

The three taxes share a structure — slice-based bands, a nil-rate band at the bottom, reliefs for first-time buyers, surcharges for additional properties — and differ in every number. SDLT, from 1 April 2025, charges 0% on the first £125,000, 2% from £125,001 to £250,000, 5% to £925,000, 10% to £1.5 million, and 12% above. LBTT charges 0% to £145,000, 2% to £250,000, 5% to £325,000, 10% to £750,000, and 12% above. LTT charges 0% to £225,000, 6% to £400,000, 7.5% to £750,000, 10% to £1.5 million, and 12% above. The nil-rate band is widest in Wales, the top rates converge at 12%, and the middle bands — where most purchases sit — are where the three diverge.

On a £500,000 purchase, the standard (non-first-time-buyer, single-property) figures are: SDLT £15,000 (0% of £125,000 + 2% of £125,000 + 5% of £250,000); LBTT £23,350 (0% of £145,000 + 2% of £105,000 + 5% of £75,000 + 10% of £175,000); LTT £18,000 (0% of £225,000 + 6% of £175,000 + 7.5% of £100,000). Scotland is the most expensive at this price, Wales sits in the middle, England and Northern Ireland cheapest — and the ranking changes at other prices, because the bands cross: at £300,000, SDLT is £5,000, LBTT £4,600, and LTT £4,500, with Wales cheapest. No single “UK rate” exists, and any guide that quotes one is quoting England’s and calling it the UK’s.

First-time buyer relief: three different answers

SDLT first-time buyer relief, from 1 April 2025, charges 0% to £300,000 and 5% from £300,001 to £500,000, with no relief at all above £500,000 — a purchase of £500,001 pays the standard rates on the whole price, a cliff worth £10,000 at the boundary. The relief applies to first-time buyers of a residential property that will be their main residence, with no prior ownership interest anywhere in the world, and the £500,000 ceiling is on the purchase price, not the buyer’s income. LBTT first-time buyer relief raises the nil-rate band to £175,000 (from £145,000) with no price ceiling — a £600,000 first purchase in Scotland pays LBTT on the bands above £175,000 and keeps the relief. LTT has no first-time buyer relief at all: the £225,000 nil-rate band applies to every residential purchase, first or otherwise, and the first-time buyer in Wales pays the same LTT as anyone else.

The cliff in SDLT deserves emphasis, because it is the sharpest edge in any of the three taxes. A first-time purchase at £500,000 pays £10,000 of SDLT (5% of £200,000). A purchase at £501,000 pays the standard £15,050 (2% of £125,000 + 5% of £251,000) — £5,050 more tax on £1,000 more price. Negotiating a price across the £500,000 line, or structuring the purchase to stay below it, is worth more than any other single decision in the transaction, and it should be made with the relief’s conditions confirmed, not assumed.

Additional properties: the surcharges

Buying an additional residential property — a second home, a buy-to-let, a property bought while still owning another — attracts a surcharge in all three taxes, and the surcharges are the largest single figures in the comparison. SDLT adds 5 percentage points to every band for additional properties from 1 April 2025 (raised from 3 points): a £500,000 additional purchase pays 5% of £125,000 + 7% of £125,000 + 10% of £250,000 = £40,000, against £15,000 for a single property. LBTT charges the Additional Dwelling Supplement: 8% of the whole purchase price, on top of the LBTT computed on the bands — £40,000 of supplement plus £23,350 of LBTT = £63,350 on £500,000. LTT charges higher rates for additional properties (its higher residential rates), with no separate supplement.

The surcharges have their own conditions and refunds. SDLT’s surcharge is refundable when the previous main residence is sold within three years (and the reclaim deadline and conditions are strict). LBTT’s supplement is refundable when the previous main residence is sold within 18 months. Non-resident buyers pay a further 2 percentage points on SDLT. Mixed-use and non-residential properties have separate schedules in all three taxes, with lower top rates, and the classification of a property with land, outbuildings, or commercial use is a frequent source of disputes — and of reclaims, when the classification was wrong.

Paying: the return, the 14 days, and who files

SDLT must be paid and the land transaction return filed within 14 days of the effective date (usually completion), and the penalty for late filing starts at £100 and rises with delay, with interest on late payment. The conveyancer or solicitor usually files and pays on the buyer’s behalf, as part of completion, and the buyer’s job is to supply the funds and the information — the purchase price, the property’s history, any relief claimed, and any other property owned — accurately and in time. LBTT returns go to Revenue Scotland and LTT returns to the Welsh Revenue Authority, on their own timetables (30 days for LBTT, 30 days for LTT), and the same discipline applies: the return is the taxpayer’s responsibility, whoever files it, and the figures on it are the figures the authority will check.

The SDLT calculation on this site models the SDLT schedule — standard, first-time buyer, and additional-property rates — and its page states that scope openly. A purchase in Scotland or Wales needs the LBTT or LTT schedule, and this guide’s comparison figures are the place to start that calculation, with the devolved authority’s own calculator as the check.

Frequently asked questions

How much is stamp duty on a £500,000 house?

It depends on where the house is and who is buying it. Standard rates on a single property: SDLT (England and Northern Ireland) £15,000, LBTT (Scotland) £23,350, LTT (Wales) £18,000. A first-time buyer pays £10,000 of SDLT (0% to £300,000, 5% to £500,000), LBTT on the bands above £175,000, and the same LTT as anyone else. An additional property pays far more in all three — £40,000 of SDLT, £63,350 of LBTT including the supplement.

What are the SDLT rates from April 2025?

Standard residential rates: 0% to £125,000, 2% to £250,000, 5% to £925,000, 10% to £1.5 million, 12% above. First-time buyers: 0% to £300,000, 5% to £500,000, no relief above £500,000. Additional properties: +5 percentage points on every band. Non-resident buyers: a further +2 points. Each rate touches only the slice inside its band.

Is there stamp duty relief for first-time buyers in Scotland and Wales?

In Scotland, yes: LBTT first-time buyer relief raises the nil-rate band to £175,000, with no price ceiling. In Wales, no: LTT has no first-time buyer relief, and the £225,000 nil-rate band applies to every residential purchase. In England and Northern Ireland, relief is 0% to £300,000 and 5% to £500,000, with no relief above £500,000.

What is the additional property surcharge?

An extra charge on buying a second home or buy-to-let. SDLT adds 5 percentage points to every band. LBTT charges an 8% Additional Dwelling Supplement on the whole price, on top of the LBTT. LTT charges higher rates for additional properties. The surcharges are refundable when the previous main residence is sold within the reclaim window — three years for SDLT, 18 months for LBTT.

When must stamp duty be paid?

SDLT must be paid and the return filed within 14 days of completion, with penalties from £100 for late filing and interest on late payment. LBTT and LTT returns are due within 30 days, to Revenue Scotland and the Welsh Revenue Authority respectively. The conveyancer usually files on the buyer’s behalf, but the return is the buyer’s responsibility.

Does the calculator cover Scotland and Wales?

The calculator on this site models SDLT (England and Northern Ireland) only, and its page states that scope. Purchases in Scotland need the LBTT schedule and purchases in Wales the LTT schedule, both compared in this guide, with the devolved authority’s own calculator as the check. The three taxes differ in every number, and no single calculation covers all three.