Stamp Duty on a £300,000 House 2026
Quick answer: a standard buyer pays £5,000. A first-time buyer pays £0. A second-home buyer pays £20,000. Below: the band-by-band math, comparison across Scotland LBTT and Wales LTT, and a non-UK-resident scenario.
By buyer type at £300,000
Side-by-side cost comparison at exactly £300,000 for every buyer type and every UK regime.
| Buyer type | England + NI (SDLT) | Scotland (LBTT) | Wales (LTT) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard buyer | £5,000 | £4,600 | £4,500 |
| First-time buyer | £0 | £4,000 | £4,500 |
| Second home / additional property | £20,000 | £28,600 | £19,950 |
| Non-UK resident (standard) | £11,000 | £4,600 | £4,500 |
Scotland LBTT second-home figure includes ADS at 8% on the full £300,000 (£24,000) plus standard LBTT of £4,600. Wales LTT figure uses the December 2024 higher-rate banded schedule. Non-UK resident 2% surcharge applies in England and Northern Ireland only.
How the £5,000 standard SDLT is built
Band-by-band math for a standard buyer at £300,000 in England or Northern Ireland.
| Band | Rate | Taxable in this band | Tax due |
|---|---|---|---|
| £0 to £125,000 | 0% | £125,000 | £0 |
| £125,001 to £250,000 | 2% | £125,000 | £2,500 |
| £250,001 to £300,000 | 5% | £50,000 | £2,500 |
| Total | £5,000 | ||
Why first-time buyer pays nothing at £300,000
The first-time buyer nil-rate band is £300,000 from 1 April 2025. At a purchase price of exactly £300,000, the entire price falls within the nil-rate band and the FTB SDLT is £0.
This is the largest single saving point on the FTB band schedule. A standard buyer at the same price pays £5,000, so the FTB relief is worth the full £5,000. If the purchase price goes a single pound over £300,000, the FTB pays 5% on each pound above £300,000 (so £305,000 costs £250 for an FTB; £350,000 costs £2,500).
FTB relief is lost entirely if the purchase price exceeds £500,000. At £500,001 the FTB pays the same as a standard buyer (£15,000). This cliff edge is the largest single jump in FTB SDLT and is explained in detail on the £500,000 page.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is stamp duty on a £300,000 house in 2026?
A standard buyer pays £5,000. A first-time buyer pays £0. A second-home or buy-to-let buyer pays £20,000. A non-UK resident pays £11,000. These figures apply to England and Northern Ireland; Scotland LBTT and Wales LTT differ slightly (see the comparison table above).
Do first-time buyers pay stamp duty on a £300,000 house?
No. First-time buyer relief covers the entire purchase price up to £300,000, so a £300,000 FTB purchase incurs zero SDLT. This is the most favourable FTB price point in the band schedule - the full £5,000 standard-buyer SDLT is saved.