Reviewed 19 July 2026

How much cash do you need for a £300,000 house?

Direct answer

The 10% deposit is £30,000. An eligible England first-time buyer has £0 SDLT in the calculator, while the standard England home-mover example has £5,000 and total cash of £40,320.

A £300,000 purchase clearly shows the effect of buyer status in England: the calculator gives a different SDLT result for an eligible first-time buyer and a standard home mover at the same price.

The first-time buyer and home-mover split

At £300,000, the calculator returns £0 SDLT for an eligible England first-time buyer and £5,000 for a standard home mover.

Relief depends on the buyer and transaction meeting the rules; it should not be assumed from price alone. Scotland and Wales apply their own systems.

The table below shows worked £300,000 scenarios with a 10% deposit, with columns for Scenario, Property tax, and Estimated cash with 10% deposit.

Worked £300,000 scenarios with a 10% deposit
ScenarioProperty taxEstimated cash with 10% deposit
England first-time buyer£0£35,320
England home mover£5,000£40,320
Northern Ireland home mover£5,000£40,660
Scotland home mover£4,600£40,168
Wales home mover£4,500£39,809

On smaller screens, scroll sideways to view every column clearly.

From £250,000 to £400,000: deposit and tax do different things

A 10% deposit rises from £25,000 at £250,000 to £30,000 here and £40,000 at £400,000. That is a straight percentage relationship.

England home-mover SDLT changes from £2,500 to £5,000 and then £10,000 because progressive bands apply to slices of the price.

Four deposit positions for a £300,000 purchase

The table isolates the deposit and illustrative mortgage so they are not confused with taxes and transaction fees.

The table below shows deposit amounts at £300,000, with columns for Deposit, Cash deposit, and Illustrative mortgage.

Deposit amounts at £300,000
DepositCash depositIllustrative mortgage
5%£15,000£285,000
10%£30,000£270,000
15%£45,000£255,000
20%£60,000£240,000

On smaller screens, scroll sideways to view every column clearly.

Compare buyer types at £300,000

Run the calculator twice—once with your actual buyer status and once as a comparison—then add current quotes.

After completion, some buyers also look at whether overpaying their mortgage could reduce interest over time, but that should only come after the purchase costs and emergency buffer are covered.

After the £300,000 purchase completes, plan the regular costs of homeownership separately from the upfront total.

Go to the calculator

Compare nearby property prices

If you are budgeting around this price point, it can help to compare nearby price points because deposit size, tax treatment and total upfront cash can change quickly.

FAQ

Questions buyers usually ask

Is £30,000 enough for a £300,000 home?

£30,000 is the 10% deposit. The stated England home-mover scenario totals £40,320; a qualifying first-time buyer scenario differs because of tax treatment.

What is the England first-time buyer tax example?

The calculator returns £0 SDLT at £300,000 for its first-time buyer setting. Eligibility must still be checked.

Why is Scotland not the same as England?

Scotland uses LBTT and the calculator returns £4,600 for the stated home-mover example, rather than applying England's SDLT bands.

Editorial record

Page reviewed
19 July 2026
Calculator data
2026.07.1

Official charges use linked public rules; quote-led figures remain planning assumptions until you replace them. Read the source and calculation method or report an error.