Estimate your stamp duty.
Before you commit.
Most buyers underestimate the upfront cost of buying in London, particularly the surcharges that apply to overseas and additional-property purchases. This calculator uses the rates in force for England and Northern Ireland.
Short answer
The calculator taxes the price in slices at the rates for England and Northern Ireland: only the part inside each band pays that band’s rate. It adds the 5% additional-property and 2% non-UK resident surcharges your answers trigger, or first-time buyer relief if you qualify.
It is an indicative figure for stamp duty only; legal fees and the other costs listed below need their own budget.
For stamp duty you count as non-UK resident if you spent fewer than 183 days in the UK in the 12 months before buying. The test is specific to stamp duty; nationality or a visa does not decide it. Owning a home does not give you residency or a visa either: see our guide to buying a home, residency and visas.
Count every home worth £40,000 or more, anywhere in the world, owned by you, your spouse or civil partner, or anyone buying with you. Replacing your main home can remove the 5%; this calculator does not apply that exception.
Indicative estimate using 2026 SDLT rates for England & Northern Ireland. This is not tax advice; your final liability depends on your circumstances, and legal fees, valuation and other costs are additional. Please confirm with a qualified tax adviser.
Where each band starts.
Stamp duty is charged in slices, not on the whole price at one rate. Only the portion inside each band is taxed at that band's rate.
| Portion of the purchase price | Rate |
|---|---|
| Up to £125,000 | 0% |
| £125,001 to £250,000 | 2% |
| £250,001 to £925,000 | 5% |
| £925,001 to £1,500,000 | 10% |
| Above £1,500,000 | 12% |
Surcharges, added on top
Replacing your main home can remove it; the calculator does not apply that or any other exception, so they need separate checks.
If any joint buyer is non-UK resident the purchase is treated as non-resident, but a married couple or civil partners buying together are both treated as UK resident if one of them is. The two surcharges stack, which is the position most overseas buyers are in.
If you later spend at least 183 days in the UK in a continuous 365-day period ending within a year of the purchase, you may be able to reclaim the 2%.
First-time buyer relief
For an eligible first-time buyer, no stamp duty is due on the first £300,000 and 5% applies between £300,001 and £500,000. A buyer who is non-UK resident for stamp duty still pays the 2% surcharge on the whole price.
Above £500,000 the relief is withdrawn entirely rather than tapered, so a purchase just over that line costs noticeably more.
- No buyer may have owned a home before, anywhere in the world.
- Every buyer must intend to live in this one as their only or main home; a first purchase made to let out does not qualify.
Ask your tax adviser to confirm eligibility.
Rates and conditions last checked on 14 October 2026 against GOV.UK and HMRC: residential rates · non-UK residents · higher rates for additional homes · first-time buyer relief. General information, not advice on your own position; ask your tax adviser.
Stamp duty is one line, not the bill.
Budget for these separately. We set out the full picture during a consultation, before you commit to anything.
- Solicitor and conveyancing fees
- Land Registry registration fee
- Local authority and other searches
- Survey or valuation
- Anti-money-laundering and source-of-funds checks
- Mortgage arrangement and lender fees
- Ongoing service charge and ground rent — what they cover
Want the whole number,
not just this one?
Tell us the property and your circumstances, and we will walk through every cost in the purchase, including the ones that are easy to miss.
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