First-Time Buyer Stamp Duty Calculator
Check whether you qualify for first-time buyer relief in England and Northern Ireland, see what you pay up to £500,000, and see exactly what happens if the price goes £1 over.
Last updated: October 2026 · 2026/27 rates
Your purchase
England or Northern Ireland. Relief is available up to £500,000.
Includes property abroad, and homes that were inherited or given to you.
Stamp duty to pay
£5,000.00
First-time buyer relief applied. You save £5,000 against standard rates.
Effective rate 1.25% of £400,000
Eligibility check
- You have never owned a home anywhere in the world
- The home will be your only or main residence
- The price is £500,000 or less
Band-by-band breakdown
| Band | Rate | Slice | Tax |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to £300,000 | 0% | £300,000 | £0.00 |
| £300,001 to £500,000 | 5% | £100,000 | £5,000.00 |
| Total SDLT | £5,000.00 | ||
First-time buyer bands.
How first-time buyer relief works
First-time buyers in England and Northern Ireland pay no Stamp Duty Land Tax on the first £300,000 of the price and 5% on the part between £300,001 and £500,000. Everyone else starts paying at £125,001. The relief is worth up to £5,000, the saving at a price of exactly £500,000.
Worked example: on a £400,000 flat a first-time buyer pays nothing on the first £300,000 and 5% on the next £100,000, a total of £5,000. A home mover buying the same flat pays £10,000, so the relief saves £5,000.
| Price | First-time buyer | Standard rates | Saving |
|---|---|---|---|
| £250,000 | £0.00 | £2,500.00 | £2,500.00 |
| £300,000 | £0.00 | £5,000.00 | £5,000.00 |
| £400,000 | £5,000.00 | £10,000.00 | £5,000.00 |
| £500,000 | £10,000.00 | £15,000.00 | £5,000.00 |
| £500,001 | £15,000.05 | £15,000.05 | No relief |
| £550,000 | £17,500.00 | £17,500.00 | No relief |
Most of the tax system tapers gently. First-time buyer relief does not. It is an all-or-nothing test on the whole price: at £500,000 you pay £10,000; at £500,001 the relief disappears completely and you pay standard rates on everything, £15,000.05. That is a jump of £5,000.05 for one extra pound.
The standard figure at £500,001 is £125,000 at 2% (£2,500) plus £250,001 at 5% (£12,500.05), with nothing on the first £125,000.
In practice a first-time buyer a little over the limit is often better off negotiating the price down to £500,000: on a £510,000 home, getting £10,000 off saves £5,500 in stamp duty as well, which is why offers just under the limit are so common in this price range.
How much stamp duty does a first-time buyer pay?
In England and Northern Ireland a first-time buyer pays 0% on the first £300,000 and 5% on the part from £300,001 to £500,000. A £300,000 home costs £0 and a £400,000 home costs £5,000, against £10,000 at standard rates.
What happens if a first-time buyer pays over £500,000?
First-time buyer relief is lost on the whole price, not just the part above £500,000. At £500,000 the bill is £10,000; at £500,001 it is £15,000.05 at standard rates, a jump of £5,000.05.
Who counts as a first-time buyer for stamp duty?
You must never have owned a major interest in a home anywhere in the world, including property abroad and homes you inherited or were given, and you must intend to live in the property as your only or main residence. Buy-to-let and holiday homes do not qualify.
Can we claim first-time buyer relief if only one of us is a first-time buyer?
No. When you buy jointly, every buyer must be a first-time buyer. If your partner has owned a home before, anywhere in the world, standard rates apply to the purchase even though you have never owned one.
What is the most a first-time buyer can save on stamp duty?
The relief is worth up to £5,000, which is the saving at a price of exactly £500,000. Below £300,000 the saving is the full standard-rate bill.
Is there first-time buyer relief in Scotland and Wales?
Scotland has its own relief under LBTT, which raises the nil-rate band to £175,000 with no upper price limit. Wales has no first-time buyer relief, so first-time buyers pay the same Land Transaction Tax as everyone else.
Residential purchases in England and Northern Ireland only. Shared ownership, leases and linked transactions have extra rules. This calculator is a guide, not tax advice.
Stamp duty calculators
This calculator is part of a family. The main calculator covers the general case.
Main calculator: Stamp Duty Calculator
SDLT for England & NI with post-April-2025 bands, plus Scotland LBTT and Wales LTT.
Second Home Stamp Duty Calculator
Stamp duty on a second home or buy-to-let with the 5% surcharge, refunds, non-resident and company rates.
LBTT Calculator (Scotland)
Scottish LBTT with first-time buyer relief, the 8% ADS and a side-by-side stamp duty comparison.
LTT Calculator (Wales)
Welsh Land Transaction Tax at main and higher rates, with the 3-year refund and an SDLT comparison.
Related calculators
Other free UK tools that follow on from this calculation.
Stamp Duty Calculator
SDLT for England & NI with post-April-2025 bands, plus Scotland LBTT and Wales LTT.
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Project savings with the 25% government bonus for a first home or retirement.
Mortgage Affordability Calculator
How much UK lenders will typically offer at 4.5×, 5× or 5.5× income with your deposit.
Shared Ownership Calculator
Mortgage, rent and service charge on your share, staircasing costs and both stamp duty options.
Reviewed by Alexandre Bernier, LLM (UK), CFP®
Educational tool: estimates only. Not individual financial, investment, tax or legal advice. Using it does not create an adviser-client relationship. Rules and figures change; check them against current HMRC and GOV.UK guidance and speak to a qualified professional. Editorial policy →
Sources
Every rate and threshold used by this calculator is taken from the official pages below. If a figure here disagrees with one of these, the official page is right, please tell us.