UK Stamp Duty Rates by Year: 2012 to 2026
UK Stamp Duty Land Tax has changed a lot in a decade — a structural reform in 2014, a surcharge in 2016, a pandemic holiday in 2020–21, a temporary threshold rise in 2022, and a reversion in 2025. If you're trying to work out what the rates were in a given year, this is the timeline, with the headline bands for each period. The figures below are for England & Northern Ireland (Scotland and Wales run their own systems).
Looking for today's rates, not a past year? The current 2026/27 bands for England & Northern Ireland are 0% to £125,000, 2% to £250,000, 5% to £925,000, 10% to £1.5m and 12% above that — with a 5% additional-property surcharge and first-time buyer relief up to £300,000. Nothing has changed since 1 April 2025. Read the full 2026 SDLT guide or work out your bill in the calculator.
Quick answer: the nil-rate threshold by year
Most "what was stamp duty in [year]" questions are really asking one thing — where the 0% threshold sat, and whether a surcharge applied. Standard residential purchase, England & NI:
| Period | Nil-rate threshold | Additional-property surcharge |
|---|---|---|
| Dec 2014 – Mar 2016 | £125,000 | None |
| Apr 2016 – Jul 2020 | £125,000 | 3% |
| Jul 2020 – Jun 2021 | £500,000 (holiday) | 3% |
| Jul 2021 – Sep 2021 | £250,000 (taper) | 3% |
| Oct 2021 – Sep 2022 | £125,000 | 3% |
| Sep 2022 – Oct 2024 | £250,000 | 3% |
| Oct 2024 – Mar 2025 | £250,000 | 5% |
| Apr 2025 – present | £125,000 | 5% |
The 2/5/10/12% band rates themselves have not moved since December 2014. The detail behind each change is below.
2014: the "slice" reform
Until 3 December 2014, SDLT used a "slab" system — a single rate applied to the whole price, creating cliff-edges (£1 over a threshold could cost thousands). On 4 December 2014 it switched to progressive "slice" bands, like income tax, where each rate applies only to the portion of price within its band. Every period since has used slice bands; only the thresholds have moved.
2016: the 3% additional-property surcharge
From 1 April 2016, a 3% surcharge was added on top of every band for additional properties — second homes, holiday homes and buy-to-let. (This is the same surcharge that rose to 5% in October 2024.) The standard "slice" bands through 2016–2019 were:
| Price band (2014–Jul 2020) | Standard rate |
|---|---|
| Up to £125,000 | 0% |
| £125,001 – £250,000 | 2% |
| £250,001 – £925,000 | 5% |
| £925,001 – £1.5m | 10% |
| Above £1.5m | 12% |
So in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 the standard bands were the same as today — an additional-property buyer simply added 3% to each (now 5%).
2020–2021: the stamp duty holiday
To support the market through COVID, the nil-rate band was temporarily raised:
- 8 July 2020 – 30 June 2021: 0% up to £500,000 (a saving of up to £15,000).
- 1 July 2021 – 30 September 2021: 0% up to £250,000 (the taper).
- 1 October 2021: back to the £125,000 nil-rate band.
2022: the mini-budget threshold rise
From 23 September 2022, the nil-rate band was raised again — this time presented as permanent — to £250,000, with first-time buyer relief lifted to £425,000 (on homes up to £625,000). This is why searches for "current stamp duty rates 2022" show a £250,000 starting threshold. These higher thresholds ran through 2023 and 2024.
| Price band (23 Sep 2022 – 31 Mar 2025) | Standard rate |
|---|---|
| Up to £250,000 | 0% |
| £250,001 – £925,000 | 5% |
| £925,001 – £1.5m | 10% |
| Above £1.5m | 12% |
2025–2026: back to £125,000
The 2022 thresholds were always time-limited and expired on 1 April 2025. The nil-rate band returned to £125,000 and first-time buyer relief to £300,000. Separately, the additional-property surcharge had already risen from 3% to 5% on 31 October 2024. These are the rates in force for 2026/27:
| Price band (from 1 Apr 2025) | Standard | First-time buyer |
|---|---|---|
| Up to £125,000 | 0% | 0% (to £300,000) |
| £125,001 – £250,000 | 2% | 0% |
| £250,001 – £300,000 | 5% | 0% |
| £300,001 – £500,000 | 5% | 5% |
| £500,001 – £925,000 | 5% | standard rates |
| £925,001 – £1.5m | 10% | standard rates |
| Above £1.5m | 12% | standard rates |
The pattern: the bands (2/5/10/12%) have been stable since 2014. What keeps changing is the nil-rate threshold — £125k, then £500k, then £250k, now £125k again — and the additional-property surcharge (3% → 5%).
Stamp duty rates in each year, 2013 to 2026
Five of these years changed mid-way through, so the date of completion is what decides the rate — not the date you offered, exchanged or moved in. Standard residential purchase, England & Northern Ireland:
| Year | Nil-rate threshold | Additional property | First-time buyer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | £125,000 (slab) | No surcharge | No relief |
| 2014 | £125,000 — slab to 3 Dec, slice from 4 Dec | No surcharge | No relief |
| 2015 | £125,000 | No surcharge | No relief |
| 2016 | £125,000 | 3% from 1 Apr | No relief |
| 2017 | £125,000 | 3% | £300,000 from 22 Nov |
| 2018 | £125,000 | 3% | £300,000 |
| 2019 | £125,000 | 3% | £300,000 |
| 2020 | £125,000 to 7 Jul, then £500,000 | 3% | £300,000, then suspended |
| 2021 | £500,000 to 30 Jun; £250,000 Jul–Sep; £125,000 from 1 Oct | 3% | £300,000 from 1 Jul |
| 2022 | £125,000 to 22 Sep, then £250,000 | 3% | £300,000, then £425,000 |
| 2023 | £250,000 | 3% | £425,000 |
| 2024 | £250,000 | 3%, then 5% from 31 Oct | £425,000 |
| 2025 | £250,000 to 31 Mar, then £125,000 | 5% | £425,000, then £300,000 |
| 2026 | £125,000 | 5% | £300,000 |
Where a year shows two figures, the second applied from the date given. Above the nil-rate threshold the band rates have been 2%, 5%, 10% and 12% throughout — except during the 2020–21 holiday and the September 2022 to March 2025 period, when the raised threshold absorbed the 2% band entirely.
Before December 2014: the slab system and its cliff edges
This is what people are usually looking for when they search for old stamp duty rates. Until 3 December 2014, one rate applied to the whole purchase price — not to slices of it:
| Purchase price (to 3 Dec 2014) | Rate on the whole price |
|---|---|
| Up to £125,000 | 0% |
| £125,001 – £250,000 | 1% |
| £250,001 – £500,000 | 3% |
| £500,001 – £1m | 4% |
| £1m – £2m | 5% |
| Over £2m | 7% (from 22 Mar 2012) |
| Over £2m bought by a company | 15% (from 21 Mar 2012) |
Because the rate applied to everything, a single pound could cost thousands. At £250,000 the bill was 1% — £2,500. At £250,001 it jumped to 3% of the whole price — £7,500. That £1 increase cost £5,000, which is why asking prices in 2013 and 2014 bunched just under £125,000, £250,000 and £500,000 and almost never sat just above them.
The 4 December 2014 reform removed those cliff edges by taxing each slice separately, the way income tax works. It is the reason a rate table from 2013 cannot be read the same way as one from 2015 onward, even where the percentages look similar.
When did stamp duty change? Every change since 2012
- 21–22 March 2012 — 7% rate introduced above £2m; 15% for companies.
- 4 December 2014 — slab replaced by progressive slice bands.
- 1 April 2016 — 3% surcharge on additional properties.
- 22 November 2017 — first-time buyer relief to £300,000.
- 1 April 2021 — 2% surcharge for non-UK residents.
- 8 July 2020 — holiday threshold £500,000; tapered to £250,000 on 1 July 2021; ended 30 September 2021.
- 23 September 2022 — threshold £250,000, first-time buyers £425,000.
- 31 October 2024 — additional-property surcharge 3% → 5%.
- 1 April 2025 — 2022 thresholds expired; back to £125,000 and £300,000.
Working out the rate for a past purchase
If you are checking a completion from a previous year — for a conveyancing query, an overpayment claim or a probate valuation — three things decide it:
- The completion date, not the exchange date. Transitional rules occasionally protect contracts exchanged before an announcement, but the default is completion.
- Where the property is. Scotland moved to LBTT on 1 April 2015 and Wales to LTT on 1 April 2018. A Welsh purchase in 2017 was SDLT; the same purchase in 2019 was not.
- Buyer status on that date — first-time buyer, additional property, or non-resident — since each carries its own schedule.
Overpaid SDLT can normally be reclaimed from HMRC within a limited window, which is why the surcharge years are worth checking carefully if a second property was later sold.
Work out your stamp duty at today's rates
Enter your price and buyer type for an instant 2026/27 figure with a band-by-band breakdown.
Try the UK Stamp Duty Calculator →Frequently asked questions
What were the UK stamp duty rates in 2018?
The same progressive bands as today: 0% up to £125,000, 2% to £250,000, 5% to £925,000, 10% to £1.5m and 12% above. A 3% surcharge applied to additional properties, and first-time buyers paid nothing up to £300,000. The rates were identical throughout 2017, 2018 and 2019.
What were the stamp duty rates in 2019?
Unchanged from 2018 — 0% to £125,000, then 2%, 5%, 10% and 12%, with the 3% additional-property surcharge and first-time buyer relief to £300,000. The next change came on 8 July 2020, when the nil-rate band rose to £500,000.
What were the old stamp duty rates before 2014?
Until 3 December 2014 SDLT was a slab tax: one rate on the whole price — 0% to £125,000, 1% to £250,000, 3% to £500,000, 4% to £1m, 5% to £2m and 7% above. A £250,000 home cost £2,500; £250,001 cost £7,500, because the higher rate applied to the entire amount.
When did stamp duty change?
The structural change was 4 December 2014, when slab rates became progressive slice bands. Since then: the 3% additional-property surcharge on 1 April 2016, first-time buyer relief on 22 November 2017, the holiday from 8 July 2020 to 30 September 2021, the £250,000 threshold on 23 September 2022, the surcharge rise to 5% on 31 October 2024, and reversion to £125,000 on 1 April 2025.
What were the stamp duty rates in 2022?
Two sets applied in 2022. Until 22 September the nil-rate band was £125,000; from 23 September it rose to £250,000, with first-time buyer relief lifted to £425,000 on homes up to £625,000. Those higher thresholds then ran until 31 March 2025.
What were the UK stamp duty rates in 2016?
From April 2016 the progressive "slice" bands introduced in December 2014 applied: 0% up to £125,000, 2% to £250,000, 5% to £925,000, 10% to £1.5m and 12% above. April 2016 also introduced the 3% surcharge on additional properties (second homes and buy-to-let).
What was the stamp duty holiday in 2020-2021?
From 8 July 2020 to 30 June 2021 the nil-rate band was raised to £500,000. It then fell to £250,000 until 30 September 2021, before returning to £125,000 on 1 October 2021.
What are the current UK stamp duty rates (2026/27)?
Since 1 April 2025: 0% up to £125,000, 2% on £125,001–£250,000, 5% on £250,001–£925,000, 10% on £925,001–£1.5m and 12% above. First-time buyers pay nothing up to £300,000. These rates are unchanged for 2026/27.
Stamp duty across the UK
- England & NI — SDLT guide · surcharges · calculator
- Scotland — LBTT guide · calculator
- Wales — LTT guide · calculator
Compare all three in the UK stamp duty hub.
Sources
- GOV.UK — Stamp Duty Land Tax rates from 1 December 2003 to 31 March 2025
- GOV.UK — SDLT rates 31 October 2024 to 31 March 2025; rates from 1 April 2025
- House of Commons Library — SDLT: developments since 2020
Figures for England & Northern Ireland; historical bands are summarised for the headline standard rates. Verify on GOV.UK before relying on them. General information, not regulated financial advice (FCA).
Cite this article
Randive, A. (2026). UK Stamp Duty Rates by Year: 2012 to 2026. DecisionsCalc. https://decisionscalc.com/articles/uk-stamp-duty-rates-by-year/