Changes to stamp duty, September 2022: On 23 September, Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng announced a change to stamp duty rates. The starting threshold for paying stamp duty will be raised to £250,000 (from its current starting point of £125,000). This means that house buyers will not have to pay stamp duty on the first £250,000 of any property purchase (a tiered tax will still apply on amounts over that). So if the property you’re buying costs less than £250,000, there is no stamp duty to pay at all. For first-time buyers, the starting threshold for paying stamp duty will be raised even further to £450,000 (providing the property being purchased does not cost more than £625,000). These stamp duty changes apply to England and Northern Ireland only. It has not yet been confirmed by the government how long these amended stamp duty rates will apply for.
Think carefully before securing debts against your home. Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.
Stamp duty is a tax paid on property purchases, but it can be confusing.
The amount you pay is based on the purchase price. The system is tiered, meaning you’ll pay a different percentage of tax on different portions of the price. It’s calculated the same in Northern Ireland as it is in England. The tax is calculated differently in Scotland and Wales.
Your stamp duty bill will differ depending on whether the property is your main residence or a second home.
Buying a new main home in Northern Ireland
Here’s how stamp duty in Northern Ireland will be calculated:
Portion costing between £0 and £125,000: 0%
Portion costing between £125,001 and £500,000: usually 2% – currently 0%
Portion costing between £500,001 and £925,000: 5%
Portion costing between £925,001 and £1,500,000: 10%
Portion costing over £1,500,000: 12%
So if you’re buying a home for £1 million, you’ll pay:
0% of £500,000 = £0
5% of £425,000 = £21,250
10% of £75,000 = £7,500
TOTAL: £28,750
Buying a second home in Northern Ireland
If you’re buying a second home in Northern Ireland, you’ll pay a 3% surcharge on each of the stamp duty tiers.
Here are the rates:
Portion costing between £0 and £125,000: 3%
Portion costing between £125,001 and £500,000: 5%
Portion costing between £500,001 and £925,000: 8%
Portion costing between £925,001 and £1,500,000: 13%
Portion costing over £1,500,000: 15%
So if you’re buying a home for £1 million, you’ll pay:
3% of £500,000 = £15,000
8% of £425,000 = £34,000
13% of £75,000 = £9,750
TOTAL: £58,750
How and when do I pay stamp duty?
Your stamp duty bill is due no more than 30 days after you complete the purchase of a property. Your conveyancer will usually send your stamp duty payment to HMRC on your behalf on completion day.
It is sometimes possible to borrow more from your mortgage lender to fund your stamp duty bill. However, this should be avoided as it means you’ll be paying interest on it for the entirety of your mortgage term.
There is a small list of cases where you’ll be exempt from stamp duty, including with inherited properties, zero-carbon home purchases under £500,000, some Right To Buy transactions and charity purchases. The full list is available on theHMRC website.
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Matthew Boyle is a banking and mortgages publisher at Finder. He has a 7-year history of publishing helpful guides to assist consumers in making better decisions. In his spare time, you will find him walking in the Norfolk countryside admiring the local wildlife. See full bio
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