First-time buyer stamp duty
The relief in one line: no duty below £300,000, 5% only on the slice to £500,000, and above £500,000 the relief vanishes entirely. The calculator is preset for you.
Guide
How to use it
- Enter the price with first-time buyer selected (preset here).
- Below £300,000: the table shows zero, the relief covers it all.
- Between £300,000 and £500,000: 5% on the part above £300,000 only.
- Above £500,000: the relief disappears completely and standard rates apply to the whole price, watch the total jump if you nudge the price across.
Examples
The relief at three prices
Under the nil band entirely. A mover would pay £3,750 on the same house, that difference is the deposit-saving power of the relief.
5% of the £150,000 above the nil band. A mover would pay £12,500, the relief saves £5,000 here.
One pound over the cap and relief evaporates: standard rates on everything. Against £10,000 at exactly £500,000, that pound costs £5,000, negotiate around the cliff.
Method
How it works
The 2025-26 first-time buyer bands: 0% to £300,000 and 5% from £300,000 to £500,000, available only when every buyer is a genuine first-timer and the property will be their main home. Above £500,000 the legislation withdraws relief entirely, a cliff, not a taper, which the calculator renders honestly.
Bands are stored as an editable constant and reviewed at Budgets: the thresholds moved in April 2025 and can move again, gov.uk is the reference before you rely on a number.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Who counts as a first-time buyer?
Someone who has never owned, or part-owned, residential property anywhere in the world, including inheritances and gifted shares. Joint purchase? Both of you must qualify, one prior owner disqualifies the pair.
Does the relief apply to buy-to-let?
No, you must intend to live in the property as your main residence. First-time landlords pay standard rates (and thankfully not the surcharge, if it is their only property).
What about shared ownership?
Relief can apply, with a choice between paying duty on the full market value once or in stages, genuinely worth a conveyancer’s advice, the right answer depends on staircasing plans.
We are buying at £510,000, any way to keep relief?
Only by bringing the chargeable price to £500,000 or below, paying separately for genuinely removable items can legitimately shave small amounts, but £10,000 of "curtains" is evasion. Otherwise standard rates apply.
Do first-timers in Scotland and Wales get this?
They get different schemes: Scotland’s LBTT first-time relief is much smaller, Wales has no first-time relief at all. This page is England and Northern Ireland.
Where does the saved money best go?
Deposit, almost always: it lowers your loan-to-value band and can cut the mortgage rate, compounding the relief’s value for years.
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