Stamp Duty on a £600,000 House
What you'll pay in 2026 — for each buyer type, with the full band-by-band maths
On a £600,000 home purchase in England or Northern Ireland in 2026, Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) ranges from £20,000 (first-time buyer) through £20,000 (standard home mover) to £50,000 (additional property / buy-to-let). The exact figure depends on who you are and what you're buying.
At £600,000, first-time buyer relief is gone and the second-home surcharge is more material than the SDLT itself. This price often comes up for buyers moving from a flat to a family home in the South East, or for first BTL investments in higher-demand areas.
The headline numbers at £600,000
| Buyer type | SDLT | Effective rate |
|---|---|---|
| First-time buyer | £20,000 | 3.33% |
| Standard home mover | £20,000 | 3.33% |
| Additional property (2nd home / BTL) | £50,000 | 8.33% |
Non-UK residents add 2% to every band in any of the categories above.
First-time buyer at £600,000
First-time buyer relief does not apply above £500,000. At £600,000 the FTB pays the standard £20,000.
Band-by-band: Same as standard rates — FTB relief is unavailable above £500,000. Total: £20,000.
Standard home mover at £600,000
For a home mover replacing their only or main residence:
Band-by-band: 0% on the first £125,000 = £0 · 2% on the next £125,000 = £2,500 · 5% on the remaining £350,000 = £17,500. Total: £20,000.
Additional property at £600,000
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 = £6,250 · 7% on the next £125,000 = £8,750 · 10% on the remaining £350,000 = £35,000. Total: £50,000.
That is £50,000 — note how much larger the additional-property SDLT is than the standard figure. The 5% surcharge applies to every band of the purchase from £40,000 upwards.
Deposit, mortgage and cash needed at £600,000
Stamp duty is paid on top of your deposit, so the cash you need on completion day is the deposit plus SDLT (plus the fees listed further down). The table shows three common deposit levels at £600,000, with the repayment on the rest of the price. First-time buyer relief does not apply at this price, so first-time buyers pay the home-mover figure.
| Deposit % | Deposit amount | Mortgage | Monthly repayment* | Deposit + SDLT (home mover) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10% | £60,000 | £540,000 | £3,001 | £80,000 |
| 25% | £150,000 | £450,000 | £2,501 | £170,000 |
| 40% | £240,000 | £360,000 | £2,001 | £260,000 |
*Capital-and-interest repayment over 25 years at an illustrative 4.5% interest rate. This is an assumption to show scale, not a quote or a forecast. At 5.0% the 25%-deposit repayment rises by about £129 a month. Model your own rate and term with the mortgage repayment calculator, and check what you can borrow with the affordability calculator.
£600,000 in other situations
The headline table covers UK-resident buyers in England and Northern Ireland. These are the figures at exactly £600,000 for non-UK residents and for the same price in Scotland and Wales, which have their own taxes.
| Situation at £600,000 | Tax |
|---|---|
| Non-UK resident home mover (England/NI, +2%) | £32,000 |
| Non-UK resident, additional property (England/NI, +5% and +2%) | £62,000 |
| Scotland, main home (LBTT) | £33,350 |
| Scotland, first-time buyer (LBTT relief) | £32,750 |
| Scotland, additional property (LBTT + 8% ADS on the whole price) | £81,350 |
| Wales, main home (LTT main rates) | £25,500 |
| Wales, additional property (LTT higher rates) | £54,950 |
England and NI: SDLT rates from 1 April 2025. Scotland: LBTT bands from 1 April 2021 and the 8% Additional Dwelling Supplement for contracts from 5 December 2024 (Revenue Scotland). Wales: LTT main rates from 10 October 2022 and higher rates from 11 December 2024 (Welsh Government). Rates checked 26 October 2026. Model other prices with the non-UK resident, LBTT and LTT calculators.
Worked example: owning a buy-to-let and buying a main home
A main residence at £600,000 normally costs £20,000. A common trap: a couple who rent their own home but own a buy-to-let flat are not replacing a main residence, so a £600,000 home they will live in still attracts the higher rates: £50,000, or £30,000 more. Selling the flat first, before completion, avoids the higher rates; selling it afterwards does not create a refund, because it was never their main residence.
At this price every extra £10,000 costs £500 at standard rates and £1,000 at the higher rates.
Beyond SDLT: the total cost to complete
SDLT is the biggest single cost but not the only one. At £600,000, you should also budget for:
- Solicitor / conveyancer: £1,500–£2,000 fixed fee.
- Local authority and environmental searches: around £350.
- Survey (Level 2 HomeBuyer): £700–£900.
- Mortgage product/arrangement fee: £500–£1,500.
- Removals: £1,500–£2,200 for a typical move.
- Land Registry registration: £150–£295 depending on price.
Use the moving costs calculator for an itemised total.
How to negotiate around the bands
Because SDLT is banded, small price differences near a threshold matter — particularly the £500,000 first-time buyer cliff edge where the relief is lost entirely. Other notable thresholds at this price:
- £250,000: standard rate moves from 2% to 5%.
- £500,000: first-time buyer relief disappears (cliff edge).
- £925,000: standard rate moves from 5% to 10%.
Calculate your exact figure
The numbers above are exact for £600,000 — but if you want to model a different price, run a comparison, or get the total cost to complete including all fees, use the calculators:
- Main SDLT calculator
- First-time buyer calculator
- Buy-to-let calculator
- Moving costs calculator
- Affordability calculator
Rates last verified against HMRC: 26 October 2026.