Stamp Duty from 1 April 2025 — What Changed, Plainly
A brief, plain‑English guide to the residential SDLT bands that took effect on 1 April 2025 — and what they mean for first‑time buyers, movers and investors.
The residential SDLT thresholds that applied through most of 2024 were temporary. From 1 April 2025 the pre‑2022 bands returned. Here's the short version.
Standard residential rates
- 0% up to £125,000
- 2% on the portion between £125,001 and £250,000
- 5% on the portion between £250,001 and £925,000
- 10% on the portion between £925,001 and £1.5 million
- 12% on anything above £1.5 million
First‑time buyer relief
If every buyer on the purchase has never owned a property anywhere in the world, and the purchase price is £500,000 or less, you pay:
- 0% on the first £300,000
- 5% on anything between £300,001 and £500,000
If the price is above £500,000 the relief doesn't apply at all — the whole purchase uses the standard rates.
Additional property surcharge
Buy‑to‑lets, second homes and most purchases where you'll own more than one property on completion carry a 5% surcharge on every band. First‑time buyer relief and the surcharge can't combine.
What this means in practice
Compared with the earlier £425k FTB threshold, more first‑time buyers now cross into relief being withdrawn or standard rates being used. If you're close to the £500k cap or thinking about a joint purchase, run the numbers early — our calculator gives you a band‑by‑band breakdown instantly.