First-Time Buyer Stamp Duty Calculator (2026/27)

Work out your first-time buyer stamp duty above

Enter the property purchase price and select the country. The calculator applies first-time buyer relief automatically, breaks the tax down band by band, and shows what a standard buyer would pay for comparison. The difference between those two figures is your relief - and on many purchases it is several thousand pounds.

First-time buyer stamp duty relief explained

In England and Northern Ireland, Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) for first-time buyers works differently from the standard rates. The relief raises the nil-rate threshold - the price below which you pay nothing - from the standard £125,000 up to £300,000. On top of that, nothing changes between £300,001 and £500,000: you still only pay 5% on the slice above £300,000, exactly as a standard buyer would. The difference is that standard buyers have already been paying 2% from £125,001 and 5% from £250,001, so by the time you reach £300,000 the saving is already £5,000.

Cross £500,000 and the relief disappears entirely. Standard residential rates apply to the full purchase price from the first pound. There is no gradual taper - it is a hard cut-off.

The formula in plain English:

• Price up to £300,000: SDLT = £0
• Price £300,001 – £500,000: SDLT = (purchase price − £300,000) × 5%
• Price above £500,000: No relief - full standard SDLT rates apply from £0

Your solicitor claims the relief on your SDLT return, filed within 14 days of completion. You do not need to contact HMRC separately, but it is worth confirming with your conveyancer that they have applied the correct relief before they file.

Who qualifies as a first-time buyer for SDLT?

HMRC's definition is tighter than most people assume. You must never have owned a residential property before - anywhere in the world, not just in the UK. That covers owning outright, holding a share through a joint purchase, or inheriting a property. If you have ever held a legal or beneficial interest in a residential dwelling, you do not qualify, regardless of whether you still own it.

On joint purchases, both buyers must meet the first-time buyer test. If one partner has previously owned a home - including a flat abroad while studying or working overseas - the entire purchase loses FTB status and standard rates apply. This is a genuinely common trap for couples where one person lived and owned property in another country before moving to the UK.

Leaseholders count as property owners for this purpose. If you were ever named on a lease as a leaseholder (not merely a tenant or permitted occupant), you may have held a qualifying interest. Ground-rent investors or those who hold shares in a residents' management company generally do not count, but take legal advice if you are uncertain - the consequences of filing incorrectly can include a penalty surcharge plus interest.

Shared ownership schemes can qualify for FTB relief, but the rules around whether you make a market-value election are technical. Confirm the position with your solicitor before you rely on the relief in your budget.

How the maths works - the formula in full

SDLT is progressive, like income tax. Each rate applies only to the portion of the purchase price that falls within that band. For a first-time buyer in England buying between £300,001 and £500,000, only one calculation is needed:

SDLT = (purchase price − £300,000) × 0.05

For a purchase above £500,000 (where standard rates apply), the full progressive formula runs across all five bands:

• £0 – £125,000 at 0%
• £125,001 – £250,000 at 2%
• £250,001 – £925,000 at 5%
• £925,001 – £1,500,000 at 10%
• Above £1,500,000 at 12%

Add up the tax on each slice and you have your total bill. The calculator does this instantly, but knowing the formula means you can double-check any figure your solicitor or mortgage adviser quotes.

Worked examples - step by step

Example 1: A nurse buying her first flat for £280,000 in Leeds

Purchase price: £280,000. First-time buyer. Country: England.

The entire price falls within the FTB nil-rate band (£0–£300,000).

SDLT = £0.

Without FTB relief, standard SDLT on £280,000 would be:

• £0–£125,000: 0% = £0
• £125,001–£250,000: 2% × £125,000 = £2,500
• £250,001–£280,000: 5% × £30,000 = £1,500
• Standard total: £4,000

The FTB relief saves her £4,000 - money that stays in her pocket rather than going to HMRC on top of her deposit, legal fees and moving costs.

Example 2: A couple buying a two-bedroom flat in Bristol for £450,000

Purchase price: £450,000. Both buyers are first-time buyers. Country: England.

• £0–£300,000: 0% (FTB nil-rate band) = £0
• £300,001–£450,000: 5% × £150,000 = £7,500

Total SDLT: £7,500.

A standard buyer on the same property pays £12,500 (£0 on the first £125,000, £2,500 on the next £125,000, and £10,000 on the final £200,000). The couple saves £5,000 by qualifying for FTB relief - equivalent to several months of mortgage payments.

Example 3: A single buyer purchasing a flat for £520,000 in London

Purchase price: £520,000. First-time buyer - but the price exceeds £500,000, so no FTB relief applies. Standard rates run from £0:

• £0–£125,000: 0% = £0
• £125,001–£250,000: 2% × £125,000 = £2,500
• £250,001–£520,000: 5% × £270,000 = £13,500

Total SDLT: £16,000.

This is the same as a previous homeowner would pay. Missing the £500,000 threshold by £20,000 costs this buyer the entire relief - a sharp reminder of how unforgiving the cliff edge is.

2026/27 first-time buyer SDLT rates - England & Northern Ireland

The figures below are sourced from HMRC's official SDLT guidance and apply for the 2026/27 tax year.

FTB relief only applies where the purchase price does not exceed £500,000. Above that threshold, standard rates apply to the full price from £0.

Buying over £500,000 as a first-time buyer

The £500,000 ceiling is one of the sharpest cliff edges in UK property taxation. Buy at £499,999 and you pay 5% on £199,999 - roughly £10,000. Buy at £500,001 and standard SDLT on the full amount comes to £15,000. That is a £5,000 swing from a single pound of purchase price.

In practice, if you are buying close to £500,000 in England, it is worth exploring whether the seller would accept a price at or just below that threshold - perhaps in exchange for leaving certain fixtures and fittings. This is a legitimate commercial negotiation, not avoidance. Solicitors handle these discussions routinely.

There is no taper. The relief does not gradually reduce as the price approaches £500,000. It is binary: you either qualify in full or you do not qualify at all.

Scotland and Wales - separate taxes, separate rules

As well as any stamp duty, budget for conveyancing fees: the solicitor's work to transfer the property into your name.

Who should use this calculator

This is for buyers claiming first-time buyer relief, and its real job is to show you where the relief stops. In England and Northern Ireland the relief removes the tax on the first slice of the price and charges a reduced rate on the next — but only up to a price ceiling. Buy for one pound over that ceiling and the relief is lost entirely, not tapered, and you fall back onto the standard rates for the whole purchase. That cliff edge is worth thousands and is the single most useful thing to know before you make an offer.

Every buyer named on the purchase must be a first-time buyer for the relief to apply. If one of you has owned a home anywhere in the world before, the relief is gone for the whole transaction — in which case the standard stamp duty calculator gives your real figure.

What this calculator assumes

• Every purchaser is a genuine first-time buyer who has never owned or inherited a residential property, in the UK or abroad.
• You intend to occupy the property as your only or main residence. Relief is not available on a buy-to-let.
• The purchase is a residential freehold completing under the current year’s rates.
• Where the price exceeds the relief ceiling, the calculation drops to the standard rates on the entire price — that is how the rule works, and it is why the tax jumps rather than creeping up.
• In Scotland, first-time buyer relief works as a raised nil-rate threshold rather than an England-style two-band structure, so the saving is smaller and there is no equivalent cliff edge.

Limitations — what it does not cover

• Wales has no first-time buyer relief at all. Land Transaction Tax gives first-time buyers no special treatment, so a Welsh purchase is calculated on the standard bands regardless.
• Shared ownership purchases, where you choose between paying on the full market value or on the share acquired, with different consequences later.
• Non-UK resident first-time buyers, who still pay the residence surcharge on top of any relief.
• Joint purchases with a non-first-time buyer — the relief is lost for the whole transaction, not just their share.
• Previous inherited property. Inheriting a share of a home counts as prior ownership and disqualifies you, which catches people out.
• Leasehold purchases, where tax may also be due on the rent element.