First Time Buyer Stamp Duty
Do first time buyers pay Stamp Duty?
The rules around first time buyers paying Stamp Duty changed in 2017. If you are a first time buyer in England or Northern Ireland, you will not pay any Stamp Duty on properties up to the value of £300,000. If you buy a property up to the value of £400,000, you’ll pay 0% on the first £300,000, and 5% on the remaining portion. For example, on a property worth £400,000, you would pay 0% on £300,000 and 5% on the remaining £100,000, meaning your Stamp Duty bill would be £5,000.
How is a first time buyer defined?
A first time buyer must not own, or have ever owned, a domestic property. This includes any property you briefly owned and then sold (either in the UK or abroad) and includes inherited properties. However, you are allowed to own commercial property.
If you are buying with someone else, whether a partner, friend or family member, in order to get the exemption, you both must fulfil the first time buyer criteria.
First time buyer Stamp Duty in Scotland
The equivalent of Stamp Duty in Scotland is Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT). In Scotland, first time buyers are exempt up to £175,000. If as a first time buyer, you purchase a property worth more than £175,000, you’ll pay 0% on that, then the standard LBTT on anything above that amount.
First time buyer Stamp Duty Wales
In Wales, the equivalent of Stamp Duty is Land Transaction Tax (LTT). There is no official first time buyer exemption in Wales, but as average house prices are lower, most first time buyers will never pay LTT.
First time buyer Stamp Duty Calculator
If you want to check how much Stamp Duty you’ll pay as a first time buyer, use our Stamp Duty Calculator to get an instant breakdown.