Answers · UK 2025/26

How much is stamp duty for first-time buyers in 2026?

First-time buyers in England and Northern Ireland pay no Stamp Duty on the first £300,000 and 5% on the portion from £300,001 to £500,000. The relief is lost entirely if the property costs more than £500,000, when standard rates apply instead.

Last updated: 1 June 2026Last reviewed: 1 June 2026How we verify

Full answer

First-time buyer Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) relief in England and Northern Ireland for 2026 works as follows: 0% on the first £300,000, then 5% on the slice from £300,001 up to £500,000. If the purchase price exceeds £500,000, you get no first-time buyer relief at all and pay the standard residential rates on the whole price. To qualify, all buyers must be first-time buyers — never having owned a residential property anywhere in the world — and intend to live in the property as their main home. Worked example: a first-time buyer purchasing at £400,000 pays 0% on the first £300,000 (£0) plus 5% on the remaining £100,000 (£5,000), so £5,000 in total. By contrast a non-first-time buyer would pay standard rates on that £400,000. A first-time buyer at £550,000 gets no relief and pays standard rates: 0% to £125,000, 2% on £125,001–£250,000, and 5% on £250,001–£550,000. Scotland and Wales have entirely separate systems — Scotland uses Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT) with its own first-time buyer relief up to £175,000, and Wales uses Land Transaction Tax (LTT), which has no specific first-time buyer relief. Note the standard nil-rate band reverted to £125,000 from April 2025, making the dedicated first-time buyer relief more valuable. Use the Stamp Duty calculator to check the exact figure for your price and region.