TrueHomeCosts
UK home buying cost guide

Reviewed 19 July 2026

Taxes and official fees for buying a home in the UK

UK property tax depends on jurisdiction and buyer type. England and Northern Ireland use SDLT, Scotland uses LBTT and Wales uses LTT; the production calculator applies the appropriate shared rule set.

Direct answer

There is no single UK stamp-duty table. Use SDLT for England and Northern Ireland, LBTT for Scotland and LTT for Wales, then apply the relevant first-time buyer or additional-property treatment.

What this page is based on

Trust and data notes

  • ReviewedFigures and official sources were substantively reviewed on 19 July 2026. Numerical examples use calculator data version 2026.07.1.
  • How to read the figuresOfficial charges and estimate-led costs are shown separately so buyers can see which parts of the total are fixed rules and which parts are planning ranges.
  • When to double-checkFigures are guidance only. Buyers should check important numbers with their solicitor, lender or the relevant official authority before making financial decisions.
  • Source styleThis page includes official-rate references and linked source notes where applicable.

Official reference points used on this page include HMRC SDLT residential property rates and Revenue Scotland LBTT residential rates and bands.

At a glance

Key facts buyers should know first

England

Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT)

Northern Ireland

Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT); registration is handled by LPS, not HMLR

Scotland

Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT)

Wales

Land Transaction Tax (LTT)

Trust note

Official-rate items vs estimate-led items

TrueHomeCosts separates published rates from market-based assumptions so buyers can see which figures are official and which ones are planning estimates.

Official or published-reference items

  • SDLT
  • LBTT
  • LTT
  • HMLR registration fees
  • local-authority council tax information

Estimate-led items

  • legal quotes
  • survey costs
  • moving budgets and similar market-priced items

How labels are used across the site

Official charge: based on published tax bands or fee scales.

Lender charge: fees tied to mortgage products, valuations or broker work.

Solicitor/conveyancing estimate: legal work and disbursement planning ranges.

Market estimate: surveys, moving, furnishing or other provider-led costs.

Optional cost: useful for planning, but not required on every purchase.

Situation-dependent cost: applies only to some properties or buyer types.

Plan the full picture

Use this guide with the right follow-up pages

Start with the homepage calculator to test your own numbers, then compare this topic with Stamp duty explained: UK property tax in plain English, Regional property costs in the UK, Leasehold costs in the UK and Hidden costs of buying a house in the UK.

Calculator-derived property-tax examples

The table is generated by the same tax functions used in the homepage calculator.

The table below shows current owner-occupier property-tax examples by jurisdiction, with columns for Price, Scenario, Calculated tax, and Tax name.

Current owner-occupier property-tax examples by jurisdiction
PriceScenarioCalculated taxTax name
£125,000England / Northern Ireland home mover£0SDLT
£125,000Scotland home mover£0LBTT
£125,000Wales home mover£0LTT
£200,000England / Northern Ireland home mover£1,500SDLT
£200,000Scotland home mover£1,100LBTT
£200,000Wales home mover£0LTT
£300,000England / Northern Ireland home mover£5,000SDLT
£300,000Scotland home mover£4,600LBTT
£300,000Wales home mover£4,500LTT
£400,000England / Northern Ireland home mover£10,000SDLT
£400,000Scotland home mover£13,350LBTT
£400,000Wales home mover£10,500LTT
£500,000England / Northern Ireland home mover£15,000SDLT
£500,000Scotland home mover£23,350LBTT
£500,000Wales home mover£18,000LTT
£750,000England / Northern Ireland home mover£27,500SDLT
£750,000Scotland home mover£48,350LBTT
£750,000Wales home mover£36,750LTT

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

First-time buyer and additional-property treatment

Relief and supplements are jurisdiction-specific. England and Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales do not share one first-time buyer rule or one additional-property calculation.

The calculator asks for buyer type so it can select the relevant rule set; eligibility should still be confirmed for the actual transaction.

Registration is a separate charge

Property tax and registration are different cost categories. HM Land Registry applies to England and Wales, Registers of Scotland provides the Scottish disposition fee, and Land & Property Services handles Northern Ireland's Land Registry and Registry of Deeds systems.

Northern Ireland is never described as an HM Land Registry charge; its registration systems are administered by Land & Property Services.

Try this in the calculator

Run your own version of this scenario

Use the homepage calculator to change the property price, nation, buyer type and assumption level so you can compare the simple version of the budget with a more realistic one.

Open the calculator

How official rules are reviewed

Official rules and fee tables were checked on 19 July 2026. Calculator data version 2026.07.1 records the Scottish registration correction and sitewide derivation work.

Check the linked authority before exchange if a tax or registration result is material.

See where official charges sit inside the wider budget

The calculator shows which lines are based on official published rates and which lines are planning estimates.

Go to the calculator

Reference points

Official UK guidance

This guide is informed by publicly available UK guidance from official and consumer-support sources where relevant.

Content notes

Reviewed and maintained by the TrueHomeCosts research team.

Our guides are built from official UK tax sources, public cost information and typical market price ranges. We separate fixed official charges from variable market estimates so buyers can see which figures are certain and which may change.

Last reviewed: 19 July 2026

Calculator data version: 2026.07.1

This content is for general guidance only and is not financial advice. For more detail, read how our estimates work or learn more about TrueHomeCosts.

FAQ

Questions buyers usually ask

Does Scotland use SDLT?

No. Scotland uses LBTT.

Does Wales use SDLT?

No. Wales uses LTT.

Does HM Land Registry administer Northern Ireland registration?

No. Northern Ireland uses Land & Property Services and its separate registers.

Related guides

Read next

Stamp duty explained: UK property tax in plain English

Stamp duty explained UK in plain English, including SDLT, LBTT, LTT, first-time buyer treatment, second-home costs and the main 2026 differences by nation.

Regional property costs in the UK

Compare regional property-buying costs across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, including LBTT, LTT and why the same purchase price creates different totals.

Leasehold costs in the UK

Understand leasehold costs in the UK, including service charge, ground rent, management pack fees, reserve funds and the upfront extras buyers need to budget for.

Hidden costs of buying a house in the UK

A detailed guide to the hidden costs of buying a house in the UK, including solicitor fees, conveyancing disbursements, searches, surveys, transfer fees, indemnity policies and the practical extras buyers often miss.

Ongoing Costs of Owning a Home in the UK

See the ongoing costs of owning a home in the UK, including mortgage payments, council tax, utilities, insurance, maintenance and leasehold charges.

Sources and checks

These are the main public sources used for official-rate items and checks on this page. Estimate-led costs remain planning ranges rather than government charges.