How much stamp duty on a £250,000 house?
£2,500
for a home mover in England and Northern Ireland, 1% of the price
- First-time buyer
- £0
- Additional property
- £15,000
- Non-UK resident
- £7,500
Stamp duty on a £250,000 property in England and Northern Ireland is £2,500 for a home mover in 2026/27, £0 for a first-time buyer, and £15,000 if it is an additional property, an effective rate of 1% at standard rates. Rates in force from 1 April 2025, checked 12 September 2026.
These figures assume a residential freehold, a single purchase, a UK-resident buyer and completion today, which is what most people mean by stamp duty on 250k. Change any of it below. An additional property adds 5 percentage points to every band.
Adjust this calculation
Stamp duty to pay
£2,500
1% of the price, £252,500 in total
- Purchase price
- £250,000
- Stamp duty (home mover)
- £2,500
- Total to find
- £252,500
How the £2,500 is worked out
£250,000 is split into portions, and each portion is taxed at its own band rate, so the rate on the last slice is never the rate on the whole price.
| Portion of the price | Rate | Tax |
|---|---|---|
| Up to £125,000 | 0% | £0 |
| £125,001 to £250,000 | 2% | £2,500 |
| Stamp duty | £2,500 |
As an additional property every band rate rises by 5 percentage points, the nil-rate band included, so the same price costs £15,000.
What it costs in total
- Purchase price
- £250,000
- Stamp duty, 1% of the price
- £2,500
- Price plus stamp duty
- £252,500
That total is the purchase price plus the stamp duty only. It does not include your deposit, mortgage arrangement fees, conveyancing, searches, a survey or removals.
Where the rate on the next slice changes
£250,000 is a band boundary. Every pound up to it is taxed at 2% or less, and every pound above it at 5%. The bill at this price is £2,500, which is 1% of the price rather than 5%.
Only the slice above the boundary is charged at the higher rate, so a purchase slightly over this price pays slightly more, not dramatically more. A second home crosses the same boundary with the surcharge on top of both rates.
- Rate below this point
- 2%
- Rate above this point
- 5%
- Bill at £250,000
- £2,500
Your position against the thresholds
Where £250,000 sits
- The last pound of £250,000 falls in the 2% band.
- You are £675,000 below the start of the 10% band; above it each extra £1 of price is taxed at 10%.
- The last £125,000 of the price is taxed at 2%.
- Your next £1 of price is taxed at 5%.
- That is an effective rate of 1%.
What other buyers pay
- A first-time buyer pays £0, saving £2,500 against a home mover.
- As an additional property this costs £15,000, which is £12,500 more.
- A non-UK resident pays £7,500, £5,000 more.
If the price moves
- £10,000 off the price saves £200 in tax and £10,200 in total.
The same price, five different buyers
Who you are changes the bill on £250,000 more than anything else about the purchase.
| Buyer | Stamp duty | Effective rate | Against a home mover |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home mover | £2,500 | 1% | The same |
| First-time buyer | £0 | 0% | £2,500 less |
| Additional property | £15,000 | 6% | £12,500 more |
| Non-UK resident | £7,500 | 3% | £5,000 more |
| Additional property, non-UK resident | £20,000 | 8% | £17,500 more |
Nearby prices
What a home mover pays either side of £250,000. Each price has its own page.
Buying this to let?
The £12,500 of higher-rate stamp duty is the first of several tax jobs on a rental property, and the only one you pay up front. After it come the rental income, the quarterly updates and eventually the gain on sale. TapTax tracks rental income and files quarterly MTD updates to HMRC.
Start tracking rental income free- Rental income calculator
What the rent is worth after tax, mortgage interest relief and expenses.
- Making Tax Digital for landlords
When quarterly filing starts for property income, and what it asks of you.
- Capital gains calculator
What the tax looks like when you come to sell.
Where to go next
- First-time buyers
The relief, the cliff edge and who counts as a first-time buyer.
- Second home and buy-to-let
The higher rates, the floor and when they do not apply.
- Reclaiming the surcharge
What comes back when you sell the old home, and by when.
- All stamp duty rates
The bands, the thresholds and every price page in one place.
- Full stamp duty calculator
Any price, with the band breakdown and the worked detail.
- Rental income calculator
What a rental property earns you after tax.
- Capital gains calculator
The tax when you sell a property that is not your main home.
Frequently asked questions
How much stamp duty does a first-time buyer pay on £250,000?
£0, which is £2,500 less than the £2,500 a home mover pays on £250,000. The relief charges nothing on the first £300,000 and 5% on the rest, and everyone buying with you has to be a first-time buyer too.
How much is stamp duty on a £250,000 second home or buy-to-let?
£15,000, which is £12,500 more than the £2,500 on a main home. The higher rates add 5 percentage points to every band, including the nil-rate band, so the charge starts at the first pound. If you are replacing your only or main residence in the same transaction they do not apply at all.
What is the effective stamp duty rate on £250,000?
1%. The £2,500 bill divided by the £250,000 price is lower than the 5% band the top of the price reaches, because each portion is taxed at its own rate rather than the whole price at one rate. A non-UK resident buyer pays £7,500, an effective 3%.
How much stamp duty would I pay on £240,000 or £260,000?
£2,300 on £240,000 and £3,000 on £260,000, against £2,500 on £250,000. Negotiating £10,000 off the price therefore saves £200 in tax on top of the £10,000 itself.
Where these figures come from
SDLT rates in force from 1 April 2025, checked against GOV.UK on 12 September 2026.
This is an estimate for a straightforward residential purchase, and your own circumstances decide the final bill. Your conveyancer files the return, and HMRC publishes the official calculator alongside the rates on GOV.UK.