Stamp duty April 2024

Stamp duty rates in England and Northern Ireland April 2024

Stamp duty rates in England and Northern Ireland are exactly the same. It is officially called stamp duty land tax (SDLT). As per our update above, for the moment house buyers will pay 0% on the first £250,000 of a house purchase, rather than the first £125,000.

For home movers

• Portion costing between £0-£250,000: 0%
• Portion costing between £250,001-£925,000: 5%
• Portion costing between £925,001-£1.5m: 10%
• Portion costing over £1.5m: 12%

For first-time buyers

If you are a first-time buyer, you can claim a relief. However, if the price is over £625,000 then the same rates as people who have bought a home before apply.

• Portion costing between £0-£425,000: 0%
• Portion costing between £425,001-£625,000: 5%

For second homes

If you’re buying a second home in England or Northern Ireland, you’ll essentially pay a 3% surcharge on each of the stamp duty tiers. Here are the rates.

• Portion costing between £0-£250,000: 3%
• Portion costing between £250,001-£925,000: 8%
• Portion costing between £925,001-£1.5m: 13%
• Portion costing over £1.5m: 15%

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Stamp duty in Scotland (LBTT) – Rates April 2024

Stamp duty in Scotland is called “land and buildings transaction tax” (LBTT).

For home movers

• Portion costing between £0-£145,000: 0%
• Portion costing between £145,001 and £250,000: 2%
• Portion costing between £250,001 and £325,000: 5%
• Portion costing between £325,001 and £750,000: 10%
• Portion costing over £750,001: 12%

For second homes

If you’re buying a second home in Scotland, you’ll essentially pay a 4% surcharge on each of the stamp duty tiers. Here are the rates combining the LBTT and the Additional Dwelling Supplement (ADS).

• Portion costing between £0-£145,000: 4% (although you’ll pay no stamp duty on purchases below £40,000).
• Portion costing between £145,001 and £250,000: 6%
• Portion costing between £250,001 and £325,000: 9%
• Portion costing between £325,001 and £750,000: 14%
• Portion costing over £750,001: 16%

Stamp duty in Wales (LTT) – Rates April 2024

Stamp duty in Wales is called “land transaction tax” (LTT).

For home movers and first-time buyers

• Portion costing between £0-£180,000: 0%
• Portion costing between £180,001-£250,000: 3.5%
• Portion costing between £250,001 and £400,000: 5%
• Portion costing between £400,001 and £750,000: 7.5%
• Portion costing between £750,001 and £1.5m: 10%
• Portion costing over £1.5m: 12%

For second homes

• Portion costing between £0-£180,000: 3%
• Portion costing between £180,001-£250,000: 6.5%
• Portion costing between £250,001 and £400,000: 8%
• Portion costing between £400,001 and £750,000: 10.5%
• Portion costing between £750,001 and £1.5m: 13%
• Portion costing over £1.5m: 15%

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 to 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 the HMRC website.

Do I have to pay stamp duty?

If a property costs under a specific amount, you won’t have to pay any stamp duty.

There are also other exemptions. You won’t pay stamp duty in the following situations:

• Property is left to you in a will
• Property is transferred to you as a gift
• Property is transferred to you because of divorce or dissolution of a civil partnership
• You buy a lease of less than seven years (provided it costs less than the stamp duty bill)
• You use alternative finance arrangements, such as those that comply with sharia law

There are numerous circumstances where you may be eligible for stamp duty relief. These include the following:

• Some Right To Buy transactions
• When buying multiple properties
• House-building companies buying an individual’s home
• Employers buying an employee’s home
• Local authorities making compulsory purchases
• Inter-company property transfers
• Charities buying property
• Purchases by registered social landlords

How much stamp duty will I pay if I buy a new home before selling my old one?

You’ll have to pay the rate for second homes (an additional 3%) but you can claim a refund if you sell your previous home within 36 months of buying the new one. You’ll have 12 months from the sale of your old home to claim this refund.

The same rules apply if you have your name removed from the deeds of a property.

Can I add stamp duty onto my mortgage?

Some lenders will lend you extra money to cover the cost of your stamp duty and add this to your mortgage.

This isn’t ideal though because you’ll be paying interest on this figure for the entirety of your mortgage term.

Stamp duty on investments

You may have to pay stamp duty reserve tax (SDRT) when you purchase shares. This depends on the company you’ve chosen to invest in. How you’ll pay depends on how yoy purchase the shares.

Buying shares electronically

When you choose to buy UK company shares electronically, you’ll see a charge for stamp duty. This is 0.5% of the amount you pay for your shares, regardless of the market value.

You’ll encounter this charge if you buy:

• Existing shares in a UK incorporated company
• An option to buy shares
• An interest in shares
• Shares in a foreign company that has a share register in the UK
• Rights arising from shares

You won’t have to pay stamp duty reserve tax if:

• You are given the shares for free
• Subscribe to a new issue of shares
• Buy shares in an open ended investment company (OEIC) from the fund manager
• Buy units in a unit trust from the fund manager

You’re automatically charged stamp duty reserve tax if you buy shares through the computerised register of shares and shareowners (CREST) system — the chances are that if you’ve used an online share dealing provider of any kind, this is the case.

If you buy shares off market

If you buy shares “off market”, which is where the shares are transferred to you outside of the CREST system, you’ll still need to pay stamp duty. You’ll need to contact HMRC with details of the transaction.

If you buy shares with a stock transfer form

If you purchase your shares through a stock transfer form and the transaction is over the value of £1,000, you’ll need to pay 0.5% in stamp duty, rounded up to the next £5.

You don’t need to pay anything for shares under £1,000.
To pay, you’ll need to send your transfer form to HMRC and pay the stamp duty. You can do this via email or post.