Property hub / Stamp duty for investors
Stamp duty calculator for property investors
SDLT, LBTT or LTT for buy-to-let, companies, trusts, non-UK buyers, several dwellings, commercial property and new leases, in all four UK nations.
Checked against legislation and HMRC guidanceRates for purchases from 1 April 2025Updated 3 October 2026
Include homes anywhere in the world, and your spouse's or civil partner's.
For this surcharge: fewer than 183 days in the UK in the 12 months before buying. Refundable if you meet the test later.
Stamp Duty Land Tax
£0
Same price, other buyers
How it is worked out
| Part of the price | Rate | Tax |
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How stamp duty works for investors
Stamp duty is charged in slices: each rate applies only to the part of the price that falls in its band. Investors who already own a home pay a surcharge on every slice: 5 percentage points in England and Northern Ireland, an 8% supplement on the whole price in Scotland, and the higher residential rates in Wales.
England and Northern Ireland (SDLT)
Standard rates are 0% to £125,000, 2% to £250,000, 5% to £925,000, 10% to £1.5 million and 12% above. The higher rates for additional dwellings add 5% to each band when the price is £40,000 or more.1 Non-UK residents pay a further 2% on residential purchases, on top of the higher rates.2 Companies pay the higher rates on residential purchases of £40,000 or more, and a flat 17% on a dwelling over £500,000 unless a relief applies, such as letting to unconnected tenants. The relief is withdrawn if, within three years, the property stops qualifying or someone connected, such as a shareholder's family, is allowed to live there.3 First-time buyers of a home to live in pay nothing up to £300,000 and 5% up to £500,000.
Scotland (LBTT)
Residential rates are 0% to £145,000, 2% to £250,000, 5% to £325,000, 10% to £750,000 and 12% above. The Additional Dwelling Supplement is 8% of the whole price where it is £40,000 or more, and applies to most company purchases.4 The return is due within 30 days.
Wales (LTT)
Main rates start at 0% to £225,000. The higher residential rates run from 5% to £180,000 up to 17% above £1.5 million and apply to companies on residential purchases of £40,000 or more. Wales has no first-time buyer relief.5
Several dwellings, mixed use, commercial and VAT
Multiple dwellings relief ended in England and Northern Ireland on 1 June 2024, so the rates now apply to the total price of linked dwellings, and buying two or more dwellings in one transaction brings in the higher rates even if you own no other home, unless the extra dwelling is let on a lease with more than 21 years left or is a subsidiary dwelling, such as an annexe within the grounds of the main home that makes up no more than a third of the combined price.6 Under all three taxes, six or more dwellings in one transaction are treated as non-residential, though in Scotland and Wales multiple dwellings relief can be claimed instead. Scotland and Wales also still offer the relief for two to five dwellings, shown in the result where it would help.7 Mixed-use and commercial property uses non-residential rates (0% to £150,000, 2% to £250,000, 5% above in England). Where VAT is charged on the price, stamp duty is charged on the price including VAT.8 On a new lease the rent is taxed on its net present value, discounted at 3.5% a year.9
Not covered by the calculator
Refunds of the higher rates when you replace your main home, the 17% rate for a partnership with a company partner, the non-resident surcharge for partnerships, trusts and UK companies controlled by non-UK residents, and dwellings at different prices in one purchase (in England and Northern Ireland the £40,000 test applies to each dwelling). Each can change the figure; ask us if one applies.
Common questions
Does a limited company always pay the higher rates?
Almost always: on residential property costing £40,000 or more, even if the company owns nothing else, unless the home is let on a lease with more than 21 years left. Over £500,000 a flat 17% rate applies instead unless a relief is claimed.
Do I pay the higher rates if my first property is a buy-to-let?
No, in any of the four nations, if neither you nor your spouse or civil partner owns any other residential property anywhere in the world. You pay the standard rates. You cannot claim first-time buyer relief, because the property will not be your home.
Is there a non-resident surcharge in Scotland or Wales?
No. The 2% surcharge for non-UK residents applies only to residential purchases in England and Northern Ireland.
Can I get the surcharge back if I sell my old home?
If you bought a new main home before selling the old one and paid the higher rates, you can claim them back if you sell the previous main home within three years in England, Northern Ireland and Wales, or 36 months in Scotland.
When is stamp duty paid?
SDLT is due within 14 days of completion in England and Northern Ireland. LBTT and LTT are due within 30 days. Your solicitor normally files the return and pays the tax from your funds.
Sources (9)
- Finance Act 2003, Sch 4ZA; HMRC, 'Stamp Duty Land Tax: buying an additional residential property' (GOV.UK).
- FA 2003, Sch 9A; HMRC, 'Rates of Stamp Duty Land Tax for non-UK residents' (GOV.UK).
- FA 2003, Sch 4A; HMRC, 'Stamp Duty Land Tax: corporate bodies' (GOV.UK).
- Revenue Scotland, 'Additional Dwelling Supplement' and 'Residential property'.
- Welsh Government, 'Land Transaction Tax rates and bands' and 'Higher rates of Land Transaction Tax'.
- FA 2003, s 55 and Sch 4ZA para 5; HMRC, Stamp Duty Land Tax Manual, SDLTM29901.
- FA 2003, s 116(7); LBTT (Scotland) Act 2013, s 59(8); LTT and Anti-avoidance of Devolved Taxes (Wales) Act 2017, s 72(9).
- FA 2003, Sch 4 para 2; LBTT (Scotland) Act 2013, Sch 2 para 2; LTT and Anti-avoidance of Devolved Taxes (Wales) Act 2017, Sch 4 para 2.
- FA 2003, Sch 5 paras 2, 3 and 8.
Buying more than one property, or through a company?
The structure you buy through changes the stamp duty, and the taxes that follow. Talk it through with a Chartered Tax Adviser before you exchange.