Short answer
England and Northern Ireland charge Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT), Scotland charges Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT) and Wales charges Land Transaction Tax (LTT). On a £300,000 main home the tax is £5,000 in England, £4,600 in Scotland and £4,500 in Wales, but a second home costs £19,950 to £28,600.
1. Which tax applies where
| Nation | Tax | Collected by |
|---|---|---|
| England and Northern Ireland | Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) | HMRC |
| Scotland | Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT) | Revenue Scotland |
| Wales | Land Transaction Tax (LTT) | Welsh Revenue Authority |
2. Residential rates side by side
| Nation | 0% band | Next bands |
|---|---|---|
| England and NI | Up to £125,000 | 2% to £250,000, 5% to £925,000, 10% to £1.5m, 12% above |
| Scotland | Up to £145,000 | 2% to £250,000, 5% to £325,000, 10% to £750,000, 12% above |
| Wales | Up to £225,000 | 6% to £400,000, 7.5% to £750,000, 10% to £1.5m, 12% above |
3. First-time buyers and second homes
- England and NI: first-time buyers pay 0% up to £300,000 and 5% from £300,001 to £500,000, with no relief above £500,000. Additional homes pay 5% extra on every band.
- Scotland: first-time buyer relief lifts the nil-rate band to £175,000. The Additional Dwelling Supplement is 8% of the whole price, for contracts entered into on or after 5 December 2024 (it was 6% before).
- Wales: there is no separate first-time buyer relief. Additional properties use a higher rates table that starts at 5%, rising to 17% above £1.5 million (for contracts exchanged on or after 11 December 2024).
4. Worked examples
| Price and buyer | England and NI | Scotland | Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| £300,000 main home | £5,000 | £4,600 | £4,500 |
| £300,000 second home | £20,000 | £28,600 | £19,950 |
| £500,000 main home | £15,000 | £23,350 | £18,000 |
| £500,000 second home | £40,000 | £63,350 | £42,450 |
Scotland's 8% supplement applies to the whole price, which is why a second home there is the most expensive in each row. Figures are before any first-time buyer relief or refund claims and assume a UK-resident buyer.
5. Which is cheapest?
It depends on the price. Wales and Scotland are slightly cheaper than England for a £300,000 main home. At £500,000 England is the cheapest because its 0% and 2% bands cover more of the price and its 5% band runs to £925,000, while Scotland moves to 10% above £325,000 and Wales to 6% above £225,000.
6. Check your own numbers
Use the comparison tool to enter your price once and see all three nations side by side. For the England-only rules, see stamp duty on a second home.
7. Frequently asked questions
Is stamp duty the same in Scotland and Wales?expand_more
No. Scotland charges LBTT and Wales charges LTT, with different bands, reliefs and surcharges. Only England and Northern Ireland use SDLT.
Which UK nation has the cheapest property tax for a £300,000 home?expand_more
For a £300,000 main home, Wales is cheapest at £4,500, then Scotland at £4,600, then England and Northern Ireland at £5,000. For a second home the order is Wales £19,950, England £20,000, Scotland £28,600.
What is the Additional Dwelling Supplement in Scotland?expand_more
A supplement on LBTT for buying an additional residential property. It is 8% of the whole price for contracts entered into on or after 5 December 2024.
Is there first-time buyer relief in Wales?expand_more
No. Wales has no separate first-time buyer relief for Land Transaction Tax, although its 0% band reaches £225,000 for all main-home buyers.