Stamp duty is worked out in slices of the price, and two rules in it catch buyers out. Here is the bill at five local price points, for three kinds of buyer, and then where those two rules bite.
The prices are not valuations or predictions. Each is the median (middle) sale price of standard sales in the 12 months to July 2026, from our article on house prices around Edmonton and Enfield. Edmonton means the N9 and N18 postcode districts. Enfield means EN1 and EN2.
What the rates are
GOV.UK's rates page, read on 16 October 2026, gives these rates for a buyer who will own only that one residential property:
- Up to £125,000: zero.
- The portion from £125,001 to £250,000: 2%.
- The portion from £250,001 to £925,000: 5%.
- The portion from £925,001 to £1.5 million: 10%.
- The portion above £1.5 million: 12%.
First-time buyers pay no SDLT up to £300,000 and 5% on the portion from £300,001 to £500,000, but only if everyone buying is a first-time buyer who intends to live in the property (see below). Someone who will own more than one residential property usually pays 5% on top of each rate. A buyer who is not a UK resident usually pays a 2% surcharge, on top of every other rate that applies.
The rates page shows no date of its own. The separate GOV.UK guidance on the higher rates, last updated on 1 April 2025, lists the higher rates as applying from 1 April 2025. We found no later change on the pages we read, but check before you rely on a figure.
Five local price points
Each figure below was worked out with the same arithmetic as our stamp duty calculator, to the whole pound, for a single purchase of a house or flat.
| Price point (median) | Sold price | Moving home | First-time buyer | Additional property |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edmonton flats (70 sales) | £256,000 | £2,800 | £0 | £15,600 |
| Edmonton, all types (301 sales) | £415,000 | £10,750 | £5,750 | £31,500 |
| Edmonton terraced (186 sales) | £430,000 | £11,500 | £6,500 | £33,000 |
| Enfield, all types (682 sales) | £500,000 | £15,000 | £10,000 | £40,000 |
| Enfield terraced (279 sales) | £520,000 | £16,000 | £16,000 | £42,000 |
"Moving home" means the one property you will own after buying. The first-time buyer column assumes everyone buying qualifies as a first-time buyer and will live there; a first-time buyer buying to let pays the "Moving home" figure instead. The last row is the one to read twice: at £520,000 a first-time buyer pays the same as someone who has bought before.
These are standard (category A) sales only. Repossessions, buy-to-lets identifiable by a mortgage, transfers to non-private individuals and "other" sales are left out, and there were many of them in Edmonton: the Land Registry recorded 224 category B sales of houses and flats there in the same year, against 301 standard ones, and 131 against 682 in Enfield. A median is the middle sale, so half of the homes sold for more and half for less.
The band working for one price
Take the Edmonton all-types median, £415,000, bought as a mover. Each rate applies only to the slice of the price in its band.
- First £125,000 at zero: £0.
- Next £125,000 (£125,001 to £250,000) at 2%: £2,500.
- Remaining £165,000 (£250,001 to £415,000) at 5%: £8,250.
The total is £10,750. As a first-time buyer, the first £300,000 is at zero and the remaining £115,000 is at 5%, which makes £5,750. For an additional property, the bands become 5%, 7% and 10%: £6,250, then £8,750, then £16,500, a total of £31,500.
As a check, GOV.UK's own examples give the same answers in our calculator: £4,750 on a £295,000 purchase, £10,000 for a first-time buyer at £500,000, and £20,000 for an additional property at £300,000.
Where buyers misjudge it
First-time buyer relief stops at £500,000, and it stops completely. GOV.UK says that if the price is over £500,000 you cannot claim the relief, and to follow the rules for people who have bought a home before. At exactly £500,000 a first-time buyer pays £10,000. For a price just over it, the calculator shows £15,000. The relief is also only for buyers who are all first-time buyers: GOV.UK says you are eligible if you and anyone else you are buying with are first-time buyers. HMRC's Stamp Duty Land Tax manual adds that the relief is only available where the buyers intend to occupy the home as their only or main residence, and that a buyer must not previously have acquired an interest in a home anywhere in the world, which includes homes received by inheritance or gift. A first-time buyer who is buying to let does not get it.
The extra 5% applies to the whole price. It is not charged only on the slice above some figure. GOV.UK says you pay the higher rates on everything you give for the purchase. At £415,000 that adds £20,750, which is 5% of the full price.
The extra 5% can catch people who do not think of themselves as landlords. The higher rates guidance says you may have to pay them even if you intend to live in the property, because the rules also look at anyone you are married to or buying with. They may not apply if the purchase replaces your main home, you intend to live in the new one as your main home and the old one was sold on or before the day you complete. If you sell it after completing, you can claim a refund of the higher rate part if you sell within 3 years, but the claim has its own deadline, so ask early. Whether any of this applies to you is a question for your solicitor. If you are buying to let, our buy-to-let guide covers the wider costs.
A non-UK resident pays 2% more on top. For individuals, the test GOV.UK gives is not being present in the UK for at least 183 days in the 12 months before the purchase. At £415,000 as a mover, the 2% brings the total to £19,050. GOV.UK says the surcharge applies even if you intend to live in the property, and if you are buying with someone, it applies if any one of you is not a UK resident.
A leasehold flat has one more test. For a new leasehold purchase, GOV.UK says you pay SDLT on the lease premium using the same rates. If the total rent over the life of the lease (its net present value) is more than £125,000, you also pay 1% on the portion over that figure. GOV.UK says this does not apply to existing, assigned leases. Our guide to leasehold and freehold explains the difference, and your solicitor can say whether the test matters for a particular lease.
Using your own figure
Medians show where the middle of the market sat. Your bill depends on the price you agree, and an offer even slightly over £500,000 changes a first-time buyer's position sharply. Put your own figure into the stamp duty calculator, which shows the band working, then read our guide for first-time buyers.
If you are still choosing an area, the Edmonton area guide and Enfield area guide cover what each place offers. If you are ready to look, you can register your search with us.
Sold prices are based on completed sales registered at postcodes in N9, N18, EN1 and EN2, which only approximate those areas and include sales we did not handle. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Questions readers ask
Do first-time buyers pay stamp duty on a £520,000 house?
Yes, and on the same basis as anyone who has bought before. GOV.UK says that if the price is over £500,000 you cannot claim first-time buyer relief, so none of it is available, not even on the first £500,000. On the figures in this article, a first-time buyer pays £16,000 at £520,000, the same as a mover.
Is the 5% extra for an additional property charged only on the part of the price above a threshold?
No. Each band rate is 5 percentage points higher, so the extra applies from the first pound of the price. GOV.UK says you pay the higher rates on everything you give for the purchase. On a £415,000 purchase the extra comes to £20,750.
I am replacing my main home. Do I pay the extra 5%?
GOV.UK says you will not if the purchase replaces your main residence and your previous main residence was sold within 36 months of completing the purchase. If you have not sold it by the day you complete, you have to pay the higher rates and may be able to apply for a refund afterwards. Ask your solicitor how this applies to you.
Are these figures what I will pay on a home I like?
No. They use the middle sold price in each group, which is a guide to the market and not the price of any particular home. Stamp duty is charged on what you actually pay, so use the calculator with your own figure and check the result with your solicitor.
Sources
- HM Revenue and Customs, Stamp Duty Land Tax: Residential property rates, GOV.UK. Read on 16 October 2026.
- HM Revenue and Customs, Higher rates of Stamp Duty Land Tax, GOV.UK. Last updated 1 April 2025, read on 16 October 2026.
- HM Revenue and Customs, Stamp Duty Land Tax manual, first-time buyers' relief (SDLTM29831) and replacement of main residence (SDLTM09800), GOV.UK. Read on 16 October 2026.
- HM Revenue and Customs, Rates of Stamp Duty Land Tax for non-UK residents, GOV.UK. Last updated 1 April 2025, read on 16 October 2026.
- Our own calculations: sold-price medians from HM Land Registry Price Paid Data loaded on 7 October 2026 (see our house prices article), and stamp duty worked out with the same arithmetic as the calculator on our website, to the whole pound.
