How much stamp duty on a £500,000 house?
£15,000
for a home mover in England and Northern Ireland, 3% of the price
- First-time buyer
- £10,000
- Additional property
- £40,000
- Non-UK resident
- £25,000
Stamp duty on a £500,000 property in England and Northern Ireland is £15,000 for a home mover in 2026/27, £10,000 for a first-time buyer, and £40,000 if it is an additional property, an effective rate of 3% 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 500k. Change any of it below. An additional property adds 5 percentage points to every band.
Adjust this calculation
Stamp duty to pay
£15,000
3% of the price, £515,000 in total
- Purchase price
- £500,000
- Stamp duty (home mover)
- £15,000
- Total to find
- £515,000
How the £15,000 is worked out
£500,000 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 |
| £250,001 to £500,000 | 5% | £12,500 |
| Stamp duty | £15,000 |
As an additional property every band rate rises by 5 percentage points, the nil-rate band included, so the same price costs £40,000.
What it costs in total
- Purchase price
- £500,000
- Stamp duty, 3% of the price
- £15,000
- Price plus stamp duty
- £515,000
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.
The cliff edge in first-time buyer relief
£500,000 is the highest price at which first-time buyer relief applies at all. At this price a first-time buyer pays £10,000. At £500,001 the relief does not taper, it disappears: the ordinary rates apply to the whole price and the bill becomes £15,000.05, £5,000.05 more for one pound of price.
This is the one place in the whole table where a pound of purchase price is worth thousands, so a first-time buyer negotiating near this figure has a concrete reason to hold the line at it.
- At £500,000
- £10,000
- One pound more
- £15,000.05
- The jump
- £5,000.05
Your position against the thresholds
Where £500,000 sits
- The last pound of £500,000 falls in the 5% band.
- You are £425,000 below the start of the 10% band; above it each extra £1 of price is taxed at 10%.
- The last £250,000 of the price is taxed at 5%.
- Your next £1 of price is taxed at 5%.
- That is an effective rate of 3%.
What other buyers pay
- A first-time buyer pays £10,000, saving £5,000 against a home mover.
- This is the last price with first-time buyer relief; one pound more and the relief disappears entirely, adding £5,000.05 to a first-time buyer's bill.
- As an additional property this costs £40,000, which is £25,000 more.
- A non-UK resident pays £25,000, £10,000 more.
If the price moves
- £10,000 off the price saves £500 in tax and £10,500 in total.
The same price, five different buyers
Who you are changes the bill on £500,000 more than anything else about the purchase.
| Buyer | Stamp duty | Effective rate | Against a home mover |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home mover | £15,000 | 3% | The same |
| First-time buyer | £10,000 | 2% | £5,000 less |
| Additional property | £40,000 | 8% | £25,000 more |
| Non-UK resident | £25,000 | 5% | £10,000 more |
| Additional property, non-UK resident | £50,000 | 10% | £35,000 more |
Nearby prices
What a home mover pays either side of £500,000. Each price has its own page.
Buying this to let?
The £25,000 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 £500,000?
£10,000, which is £5,000 less than the £15,000 a home mover pays on £500,000. 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 £500,000 second home or buy-to-let?
£40,000, which is £25,000 more than the £15,000 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 £500,000?
3%. The £15,000 bill divided by the £500,000 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 £25,000, an effective 5%.
How much stamp duty would I pay on £490,000 or £510,000?
£14,500 on £490,000 and £15,500 on £510,000, against £15,000 on £500,000. Negotiating £10,000 off the price therefore saves £500 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.