The hidden costs of buying a home in the UK
Build the full cash plan behind a home purchase: deposit, property tax, legal work, searches, surveys, mortgage fees, moving costs and the reserve needed after completion.
Buy · Calculator 17
What will buying the property really cost?
Calculate residential Stamp Duty in England and Northern Ireland, then add the deposit, legal, survey, mortgage and moving costs needed to complete.
1 Enter your figures2 Review assumptions3 Explore the result
Your figures
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Estimated Stamp Duty Land Tax
£12,5002.78% effective rate on a £450,000 purchase.True purchase cost£466,999£16,999 above the agreed price
Cash needed upfront£84,499£67,500 deposit plus tax and costs
Mortgage amount£382,50085% loan-to-value
What does the next £10,000 of price cost?
£10,500£10,000 of property price plus £500 of additional Stamp Duty under the selected main-home buyer assumptions. Fees are held unchanged.Tax calculation
Each slice of the purchase price
Price bandTaxedRateTax
First £125,000£125,0000%£0
£125,000–£250,000£125,0002%£2,500
£250,000–£925,000£200,0005%£10,000
Standard or relieved SDLT £12,500Additional-property surcharge £0Non-resident surcharge £0
Where the money goes
Purchase economics and completion cash
Total purchase cost£466,999
Cash needed upfront£84,499
Price or depositStamp DutyOther costs
Other upfront costs entered
£4,499- Legal and conveyancing
- £2,000
- Survey and valuation
- £750
- Mortgage fees
- £999
- Removal costs
- £750
- Immediate works and other
- £0
The purchase price is not the amount you need to complete.
Your deposit funds part of the property, while the mortgage funds the balance. Stamp Duty and buying costs usually require separate cash, so they reduce the amount available for the deposit unless budgeted independently.
Assumptions used
- Uses residential SDLT bands for England and Northern Ireland applying from 1 April 2025.
- First-time buyer relief is applied only at purchase prices of £500,000 or less.
- The additional-property surcharge adds 5 percentage points when the selected purchase is at least £40,000.
- The non-UK resident surcharge adds 2 percentage points when selected and the purchase is at least £40,000.
- All entered professional, mortgage and moving costs are treated as cash paid upfront.
- Lease rent, shared ownership, companies, trusts, linked transactions, mixed-use property and other reliefs are excluded.
SDLT eligibility can turn on facts that a price calculator cannot establish. Confirm first-time buyer, replacement-home, additional-property and residence status with your conveyancer before exchange.
Common questions
Stamp Duty calculator FAQs
What are the Stamp Duty rates in England and Northern Ireland?
For a single residential property, the rates applying from 1 April 2025 are 0% up to £125,000, 2% from £125,001 to £250,000, 5% from £250,001 to £925,000, 10% from £925,001 to £1.5 million and 12% above £1.5 million. Each rate applies only to that slice of the price.
How does first-time buyer Stamp Duty relief work?
Eligible first-time buyers pay no SDLT on the first £300,000 and 5% on the portion from £300,001 to £500,000. If the purchase price exceeds £500,000, the relief is lost and the ordinary residential rates apply to the whole transaction.
What is the additional-property Stamp Duty surcharge?
The higher rates usually add 5 percentage points to every residential SDLT band when the purchase means you will own more than one residential property worth at least £40,000 and you are not replacing a previous main home under the rules.
Can I reclaim the additional-property surcharge?
You may be able to reclaim the higher-rate portion if the new purchase replaces your main residence and you sell or otherwise dispose of the previous main home within the permitted period. The calculator identifies the 5% portion but cannot determine legal eligibility.
What is the non-UK resident SDLT surcharge?
A residential purchase in England or Northern Ireland can carry a 2 percentage-point surcharge when it is a non-resident transaction for SDLT purposes. This uses a specific residence test and can apply on top of first-time buyer or additional-property rates.
Does the calculator cover Scotland or Wales?
No. Scotland uses Land and Buildings Transaction Tax and Wales uses Land Transaction Tax. Their bands, reliefs and additional-property rules differ from SDLT in England and Northern Ireland.
How much cash do I need to buy a property?
The calculator adds the cash deposit, SDLT and all entered legal, survey, mortgage, valuation, removal and immediate-work costs. The mortgage is assumed to fund only the portion of the purchase price not covered by the deposit.
Does a bigger deposit reduce Stamp Duty?
No. SDLT is calculated from the property consideration and buyer circumstances, not the mortgage size. A larger deposit reduces borrowing but increases the cash needed at completion.
Why can buying just above £500,000 be expensive for a first-time buyer?
First-time buyer relief has a hard £500,000 purchase-price limit. At £500,001 the ordinary residential bands replace the relieved bands across the transaction, so the tax increase is larger than the tax on the extra £1 alone.
What transactions need specialist SDLT advice?
Companies, trusts, shared ownership, new leases with chargeable rent, linked transactions, mixed residential and commercial property, multiple dwellings, transfers of ownership and relief claims can require calculations outside this tool.