HomeBuyingCosts Guide
First-Time Buyer Stamp Duty Thresholds 2026/27 (£300k & £500k)
Written and reviewed by James Whitfield · Updated 2026-08-25 · 6 min read
Checked against 2026/27 HMRC, Revenue Scotland & HM Land Registry rates · Editorial standards · Methodology
First-time buyer relief now runs to £300,000 tax-free and £500,000 maximum. Here's what changed on 1 April 2025 and how much you pay near each threshold.
Key takeaways
- Nil-rate threshold is £300,000 (was £425,000 until 31 Mar 2025).2
- Relief ceiling is £500,000 (was £625,000 until 31 Mar 2025).2
- Above £500,000 there's no relief at all — standard rates on the whole price.2
- Relief is worth up to £5,000 in the £300k–£500k window.2
- These are England/NI rules; Scotland and Wales differ.45
The current first-time buyer stamp duty thresholds are £300,000 and £500,000: no SDLT up to £300,000, then 5% up to a £500,000 ceiling.2 The old £425,000 and £625,000 thresholds were a temporary boost that ended on 31 March 2025 — if you've seen those numbers, they're out of date.
What changed on 1 April 2025, how much first-time buyers pay at the key price points now, and why buying under £500,000 matters so much.
Worked examples — home mover typical fees
| Price | England/NI tax | Scotland tax | Wales tax |
|---|---|---|---|
| £300,000 | £5,000 | £4,600 | £4,500 |
| £500,000 | £15,000 | £23,350 | £18,000 |
| £750,000 | £27,500 | £48,350 | £36,750 |
What changed on 1 April 2025
During the 2022–2025 support period, first-time buyers paid nothing up to £425,000 and got relief up to £625,000. Those temporary thresholds expired on 31 March 2025 and reverted to the long-standing £300,000 and £500,000.2
So a lot of older guides, forum posts and even calculators still quote £425k and £625k. For any completion from April 2025 onward, they're wrong.
What first-time buyers pay now, price by price
Here's the current position at the prices people ask about most:
| Price | First-time buyer SDLT (now) | Home mover SDLT | FTB saving |
|---|---|---|---|
| £300,000 | £0 | £5,000 | £5,000 |
| £425,000 | £6,250 | £11,250 | £5,000 |
| £500,000 | £10,000 | £15,000 | £5,000 |
| £625,000 | £21,250 | £21,250 | £0 |
At £425,000 a first-time buyer now pays £6,250 (it was £0 under the old threshold). At £625,000 there's no relief at all.2
The reversion hit the £425k–£625k bracket hardest. A first-time buyer at £625,000 who would have paid £10,000 under the old rules now pays the full £21,250 — no relief, because the price is over £500,000.
Why £500,000 is the number to watch
The ceiling is a hard cliff, not a taper. At £500,000 a first-time buyer pays £10,000; a pound over and relief disappears entirely, so the standard rates apply to the whole price.2
If you're a first-time buyer negotiating in the high £400,000s or low £500,000s, staying at or under £500,000 is worth up to £5,000. It's one of the few places where the price tag flips a rule.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the first-time buyer stamp duty thresholds for 2026/27?+
£300,000 (nil-rate) and £500,000 (relief ceiling). No SDLT up to £300,000, 5% between £300,000 and £500,000, and no relief above £500,000.2
Are the thresholds still £425,000 and £625,000?+
No. Those were temporary and ended on 31 March 2025. The current thresholds are £300,000 and £500,000.2
How much does a first-time buyer pay at £425,000 now?+
£6,250 — 5% on the £125,000 above the £300,000 nil-rate band. Under the old rules it was £0.2
Is there any relief above £500,000?+
No. Above £500,000 a first-time buyer pays the standard rates on the whole price, the same as a home mover.2
How much is first-time buyer relief worth?+
Up to £5,000, on purchases of £500,000 or less.2
Sources & references
OfficialThe figures and rules on this page are drawn from the official UK government sources below. Rates are the confirmed 2026/27 amounts. Each link opens the relevant official page in a new tab.
- GOV.UK — SDLT residential property rates www.gov.uk/stamp-duty-land-tax/residential-property-rates Current band-by-band residential SDLT rates for 2026/27.
- GOV.UK — First-time buyers' SDLT relief www.gov.uk/stamp-duty-land-tax/residential-property-rates#first-time-buyers Relief: nil-rate to £300,000, 5% to £500,000, none above £500,000.
- GOV.UK — Higher rates for additional properties www.gov.uk/guidance/stamp-duty-land-tax-buying-an-additional-residential-property The 5% additional-property surcharge and 36-month refund rules.
- Revenue Scotland — Land and Buildings Transaction Tax revenue.scot/taxes/land-buildings-transaction-tax Scottish LBTT residential rates and the Additional Dwelling Supplement.
- Welsh Revenue Authority — Land Transaction Tax rates www.gov.wales/land-transaction-tax-rates-and-bands Welsh LTT residential rates and bands.
- GOV.UK — Pay Stamp Duty Land Tax www.gov.uk/pay-stamp-duty-land-tax Filing the SDLT return and paying within 14 days of completion.
Verified against published UK government guidance. See also Methodology and Editorial standards.
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Written and reviewed by James Whitfield and the HomeBuyingCosts editorial team.
Stamp duty, LBTT and LTT figures are checked against GOV.UK, Revenue Scotland and GOV.WALES. We explain every cost of buying a home in plain English, with worked examples. Editorial standards · About us