How much stamp duty on a £550,000 house?

On a £550,000 home in England or Northern Ireland in 2026, stamp duty is £17,500 for a standard home mover, £17,500 for a first-time buyer, and £45,000 for an additional property (buy-to-let or second home). Non-UK residents add 2% to every band.

Do first-time buyers pay stamp duty on a £550,000 home?

Yes — the FTB relief disappears above £500,000, so first-time buyers pay £17,500 on a £550,000 home (the same as a standard mover).

When is stamp duty paid on a £550,000 purchase?

Stamp duty is due within 14 days of completion. Your conveyancer typically files the SDLT return and pays HMRC from completion funds on your behalf. Late filing attracts a £100 penalty plus interest on unpaid duty.

Stamp Duty on a £550,000 House

Q: What's the additional property surcharge on £550,000?

Buying a £550,000 home as an additional property (second home or buy-to-let) attracts £45,000 of SDLT — that's £27,500 more than the standard rate. The 5% additional-property surcharge applies above the £40,000 entry threshold and stacks on every band.

What you'll pay in 2026 — for each buyer type, with the full band-by-band maths.

SDC Maintained by the Stamp Duty Calculator editorial team. · Calculated against HMRC published SDLT rates from 1 April 2025. Last verified 25 May 2026.

On a £550,000 home purchase in England or Northern Ireland in 2026, Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) ranges from £17,500 (first-time buyer) through £17,500 (standard home mover) to £45,000 (additional property / buy-to-let). The exact figure depends on who you are and what you're buying.

The headline numbers at £550,000

Buyer type	SDLT	Effective rate
First-time buyer	£17,500	3.18%
Standard home mover	£17,500	3.18%
Additional property (2nd home / BTL)	£45,000	8.18%

Non-UK residents add 2% to every band in any of the categories above.

First-time buyer at £550,000

First-time buyer relief does not apply above £500,000. At £550,000 the FTB pays the standard £17,500.

Band-by-band: 0% on the first £125,000 (band £0–£125,000) = £0 · 2% on the next £125,000 (band £125,000–£250,000) = £2,500 · 5% on the next £300,000 (band £250,000–£550,000) = £15,000. Total: £17,500.

Standard home mover at £550,000

For a home mover replacing their only or main residence:

Additional property at £550,000

For a buy-to-let, second home, or any purchase where the buyer will own another residential property at the end of the day of completion:

Band-by-band: 5% on the first £125,000 (band £0–£125,000) = £6,250 · 7.000000000000001% on the next £125,000 (band £125,000–£250,000) = £8,750 · 10% on the next £300,000 (band £250,000–£550,000) = £30,000. Total: £45,000.

That's £27,500 more than the standard rate. The 5% additional-property surcharge stacks on every band above the £40,000 entry threshold.

Who typically buys at £550,000?

Established home movers, families upsizing for space, or buyers in London zones 2–3 and the inner South East. First-time buyer relief no longer applies above £500,000.

Buyer profile at £550,000

£550,000 is a common purchase price for senior professional families, and prime London downsizers into home counties, particularly in Prime London Zone 2-3, prime Cambridge, prime Oxford, senior Home Counties towns. Typical property stock at this price includes five-bed detached family homes, prime London two-bed flats, Cotswold cottages. On the financing side, a 75% LTV mortgage of £412,500 at 4.6% over 25 years costs about £2,323/month, and a 25% deposit is £137,500 — nearly all buyers at this price are equity-funded rather than deposit-savers.

Practical wisdom at this price point: At £550k, standard SDLT is £17,500 vs additional-property SDLT of £45,000 — an extra £27,500 for second homes. If you are a UK homeowner planning to keep your current property and add this as a rental, run the yield maths carefully: an extra £27,500 in SDLT on top requires an additional ~£150/month in net rental income to break even over 15 years.

Threshold context at this price

£500,000: first-time buyer relief disappears entirely — the FTB cliff edge.

Beyond SDLT: the total cost to complete

SDLT is the biggest single tax but not the only cost. At £550,000, budget for:

Conveyancing legal fees: £1,800–£2,500.
Local-authority searches: ~£320.
Survey (RICS Level 2 HomeBuyer): £900–£1,300.
Mortgage product/arrangement fee: £0–£2,000 (often ~£999).
Mortgage valuation: ~£300 (sometimes waived).
Removals: £2,200–£3,000.
Land Registry registration: £295.
Buildings insurance from exchange: ~£280/year.

Use the home buying cost calculator for an itemised total at this price.

Calculate variations

To model a different price, buyer type or scenario:

Main SDLT calculator — any price, any buyer type
First-time buyer calculator — FTB-specific with relief logic
Buy-to-let calculator — includes the 5% surcharge
Second home calculator — additional-property treatment
Non-UK resident calculator — additional 2% surcharge
Home buying cost calculator — SDLT plus all other fees