Do first-time buyers still get Stamp Duty relief in 2026?

Full answer

**First-Time Buyer Stamp Duty Relief** in England provides a higher zero-rate band compared to standard purchasers, making it cheaper to get onto the property ladder. **Note on thresholds — important change from 1 April 2025:** The temporary higher relief thresholds (£425k zero-band, £625k cap) that applied from 23 September 2022 were **extended permanently** beyond the original 31 March 2025 deadline. The thresholds remain £425,000 and £625,000 for 2026/27. **2026/27 First-Time Buyer relief (England):** | Portion of price | FTB rate | Standard rate | |---|---|---| | Up to £250,000 | **0%** | 0% | | £250,001 – £425,000 | **0%** | 5% | | £425,001 – £625,000 | **5%** | 5% | | Above £625,000 | **No FTB relief** | 5%–12% | **First-time buyer definition:** You must never have owned a residential property anywhere in the world — this includes: - Properties you inherited - Properties owned jointly with a previous partner - Overseas property **Joint purchases:** In a joint purchase, **all buyers must be first-time buyers** for the relief to apply. If one purchaser has previously owned property, no relief is available. **Scotland (LBTT First-Time Buyer Relief):** First-time buyers in Scotland get an additional relief raising the zero band from £145,000 to **£175,000** on purchases up to £175,000. **Wales (LTT):** Wales does **not** have a separate first-time buyer relief. Standard LTT rates apply. **Northern Ireland:** Northern Ireland uses SDLT (same as England) — same FTB relief thresholds apply.

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