Answers · UK 2025/26
How much SDLT on a £500,000 house?
On a £500,000 main-home purchase in England or Northern Ireland after 31 March 2025, SDLT is £15,000. The first £125,000 is 0%, £125,001–£250,000 at 2% (£2,500), and £250,001–£500,000 at 5% (£12,500). First-time buyers pay £10,000 because they get a higher nil-rate band.
Full answer
SDLT thresholds reverted on 1 April 2025: nil-rate up to £125,000, 2% to £250,000, 5% to £925,000, 10% to £1.5m and 12% above. A £500,000 main residence calculation: £0 on the first £125,000; 2% × £125,000 = £2,500 on the next slice; 5% × £250,000 = £12,500 on the slice to £500,000 — total £15,000. First-time buyers get 0% to £300,000 and 5% from £300,001 to £500,000, so £200,000 × 5% = £10,000 SDLT. FTB relief disappears entirely if the price exceeds £500,000. A second home or buy-to-let attracts the +5% surcharge on every slice (increased from 3% on 31 October 2024), so £500,000 costs £15,000 + £25,000 surcharge = £40,000. Non-UK resident buyers add another 2% on top. SDLT is paid via your solicitor within 14 days of completion, using HMRC return SDLT1. Bear in mind multiple-dwellings relief was abolished from 1 June 2024 and mixed-use (genuinely commercial plus residential) still uses non-residential rates: 0% to £150k, 2% to £250k, 5% above. Scottish buyers pay LBTT, Welsh buyers LTT — both have different bands and reliefs.
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This answer is informational only and does not constitute financial, tax or legal advice. Figures are for the 2025/26 UK tax year. See our methodology and sources.