Stamp duty on £400,000

Stamp duty on £400,000

Use this as your base scenario, then switch buyer type to compare first-time buyer and additional-property totals.

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Cost categories at this price

Keep tax and non-tax costs separate first, then use the combined all-in total for offer and completion planning.

• Stamp duty / property tax: £10,000 under the selected nation and buyer type.
• Conveyancing fees: currently £1,200 (editable in the calculator).
• Survey and mortgage costs: £500 survey + £999 lender fee assumptions.
• Total upfront cash needed before completion: £12,699 all-in estimate for this scenario.

What changes at this threshold?

Compare nearby price brackets with the same assumptions to see how tax and all-in totals move.

• £250,001 to £925,000 contributes £7,500 at 5.0% in this scenario.
• £125,001 to £250,000 contributes £2,500 at 2.0% in this scenario.
• A change in purchase price can shift both tax slices and all-in completion cash, not just one headline number.

How to use this page well

This page is designed for tax-only planning and threshold checking. It shows the current SDLT estimate on £400,000 and exposes the taxed slices so you can see where the total comes from.

Even when you are focused on tax, decision quality improves when you compare at least one lower and one higher price point. The marginal slice can change faster than expected, especially if buyer type assumptions also change.

This is a common comparison range where buyers often switch between first-time buyer, mover and second-home assumptions before bidding.

Practical checks before you offer

• Run the same price with a different buyer type before finalising your offer strategy.
• Keep fee assumptions realistic and update them as quotes arrive rather than waiting until exchange.
• Use the city and county pages for local-intent comparisons, but verify final figures with your conveyancer before completion.

Understanding the costs on a £400,000 purchase

The headline stamp duty figure is only part of what you need to have available at completion. On a £400,000 property, the all-in total is £12,699 once you add legal fees, your survey and any mortgage arrangement fee. That is the figure your solicitor will need you to have cleared and ready — not the deposit figure your mortgage lender quotes, and not just the tax.

Stamp duty (or LBTT in Scotland, LTT in Wales) is charged in progressive bands — only the slice of the price in each band is taxed at that rate, not the whole purchase price. So on a £400,000 property, the effective tax rate is 2.50%, which is lower than the headline marginal rate of 5.0% that applies to the top slice of the price.

Conveyancing fees cover your solicitor's legal work from instruction through to completion — title searches, Land Registry registration and the actual SDLT/LBTT/LTT submission to HMRC or Revenue Scotland. Quotes vary quite a bit depending on the property type, leasehold complications and the solicitor's location. The default of £1,200 used here is a reasonable mid-range estimate; open the advanced fee editor and replace it with a real quote before making any final budget decisions.

What the effective rate actually means

An effective rate of 2.50% means that across the whole £400,000 purchase price, 2.50% goes to property tax. The marginal rate of 5.0% is what applies to the last pound of the price — useful to know when deciding whether to negotiate a price just below a band boundary (for example, £250,000 versus £250,001 in England, where crossing the threshold adds a significant tax step for non-first-time buyers).

Checklist before you exchange

• Confirm you have the all-in completion sum (£12,699) available as cleared cash — not just the deposit your mortgage lender requires.
• Check whether you qualify as a first-time buyer under HMRC's definition; if you have ever owned a residential property anywhere in the world, FTB relief does not apply.
• If you own other property, confirm whether the 5% additional-property surcharge applies (England and Northern Ireland from October 2024). The surcharge is on the full purchase price and can be refunded within 12 months if your previous main residence is sold.
• Get your conveyancing quote in writing before exchange — fees can vary by £500–£1,000 depending on the firm and any leasehold complexity.
• Ask your mortgage broker whether there is a free valuation or cashback that offsets the arrangement fee, as this changes the net mortgage cost used in the all-in total.

FAQ

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