Buy to Let and Second Home Stamp Duty Calculator

Buy to let Stamp Duty is payable when you purchase your property. You’re required to send your Stamp Duty return and pay the applicable tax within 14 days of completing the purchase.

Normally, your solicitor will file your Stamp Duty return and pay the bill for you, and simply add the cost to your solicitor's fees. If your solicitor isn’t able to do this, you can file and pay your Stamp Duty tax online yourself. Use our buy to let Stamp Duty calculator above to work out how much you’ll owe.

For your property to count as your main residence, it must be bought with the intention of using it as your main home. If you're already a homeowner, your previous main residence should be sold or remortgaged at the time of purchasing the new one. If you still own your previous home as a second or rental property, you’ll be liable for the surcharge for Stamp Duty on second homes. Fortunately, you'll be able to claim this back as long as you sell the original property within 3 years and don’t rent it out in the meantime..

It’s important to note that residency is based on where you live, rather than simply where you’re registered to vote. HMRC will look at several factors, including where you work or where your children go to school.

No, you won’t have to pay a second home Stamp Duty surcharge as long as you’re not in a marriage or civil partnership and/or on the title deeds of your partner’s property. You’ll be treated as an individual and can buy a property at the standard Stamp Duty rate solely in your own name.

If you’re married or in a civil partnership, you'll be seen as joint property owners in terms of Stamp Duty and be liable to pay the surcharge for Stamp Duty on second homes. You can check how much that’s likely to be using our buy to let and second home Stamp Duty calculator.

You won’t have to pay the extra Stamp Duty charge if you’re going to sell your home abroad when you buy your new house in England as this new house would be your new main residence. If you intend on retaining the home abroad, you will have to pay the extra Stamp Duty on the England property as it will technically be a second home.

If you’re helping your child buy a property, it’ll very much depend on the circumstances as to whether you pay the second home Stamp Duty surcharge.

If you’re purchasing the property as joint owners and your name will be on the deeds, it will technically count as your second property and all owners will be liable for the 5% surcharge. It doesn’t matter that your child may be a first time buyer; they’ll still be liable for the additional Stamp Duty when buying a property with a parent that already owns a home.

One way to ensure your child benefits from the first time buyer Stamp Duty exemption or simply avoids paying additional Stamp Duty (if they’ve owned a property previously), is to take out a joint borrower sole proprietor mortgage. This is where both of you can be borrowers on the mortgage, but only one of you (the child) is on the title deeds of the property. 

Estimate how much you’ll need to pay overall with our buy to let and second home Stamp Duty calculator.

If you’re acting as guarantor or gifting some money to your child for a deposit, you also won’t have to pay additional Stamp Duty.

The rate of Stamp Duty you pay differs depending on the location of the property that you’re purchasing.

In England and Northern Ireland, the additional Stamp Duty tax rates are as follows:

Up to 31 March 2025:

• Up to £250,000 = 5%
• £250,001 to £925,000 = 10%
• £925,001 to £1,500,000 = 15%
• Over £1,500,000 = 17%

From 1 April 2025:

• Up to £125,000 = 5%
• £125,001 to £250,000 = 7%
• £250,001 to £925,000 = 10%
• £925,001 to £1,500,000 = 15%
• Over £1,500,000 = 17%

From 5 December 2024 in Scotland, the equivalent Land and Buildings Transaction Tax rates on additional properties (second homes and buy to let) are as follows:

• Up to £145,000 = 8%
• £145,001 to £250,000 = 10%
• £250,001 to £325,000 = 13%
• £325,001 to £750,000 = 18%
• Over £750,000 = 20%

From 11 December 2024 in Wales, the equivalent higher residential tax rates for Land Transaction Tax (for buy to let and additional residential properties) are as follows:

• Up to £180,000 = 5%
• Over £180,000 up to and including £250,000 = 8.5%
• Over £250,000 up to and including £400,000 = 10%
• Over £400,000 up to and including £750,000 = 12.5%
• Over £750,000 up to and including £1,500,000 = 15%
• Over £1,500,000 = 17%

You have 2 options for paying Stamp Duty. The most common way to pay your Stamp Duty is through your solicitor or conveyancer. Normally, they’ll file your return and pay your Stamp Duty for you, including any second home or buy to let surcharges - some will add the cost to their fees.

If your solicitor or conveyancer can’t do it, or you’d rather do it yourself, you can. You can use a buy to let stamp duty calculator to work out how much you owe, and file and pay your Stamp Duty online within the given timeframe.

Inherited properties aren’t subject to the Stamp Duty surcharge and will usually be subject to Inheritance Tax instead. If, however, you inherit a property and purchase another one before you sell it, you’ll have to pay standard Stamp Duty plus the second home surcharge.