How much SDLT do I pay on a £250,000 property as a mover?

£2,500 of Stamp Duty Land Tax on a £250,000 purchase in England or Northern Ireland for the 2026/27 tax year, treated as a mover (replacement of main home). That works out to an effective rate of 1.00% across the whole purchase price. Standard SDLT bands apply: 0% to £125k, 2% to £250k, 5% to £925k, 10% to £1.5m, 12% above.

Would I save SDLT if I qualified as a first-time buyer?

Yes - a first-time buyer at £250,000 pays £0, a saving of £2,500 versus the standard mover rate of £2,500. To qualify, every buyer on the title must have never owned a residential property anywhere in the world.

What if I haven't sold my previous main home yet?

If you complete on the new home before selling the previous one, HMRC treats the purchase as an additional property and charges the +5% surcharge - £15,000 at this price instead of £2,500. You can claim the surcharge back if you sell the previous main home within 36 months of completion on the new one. Most movers either bridge the gap with a short-term loan or accept the surcharge upfront and reclaim it after sale.

SDLT must be paid within 14 days of completion. Your conveyancing solicitor typically files the SDLT return and pays HMRC on your behalf at completion. Build the £2,500 into your completion-day cash budget along with the deposit balance and legal fees.

£250,000 property as Mover: SDLT calculation 2026/27

Buying a £250,000 property in England or Northern Ireland as a mover (replacement of main home) in the 2026/27 tax year? Stamp Duty Land Tax comes to £2,500, an effective rate of 1.00% across the whole purchase price. Standard SDLT bands apply: 0% to £125k, 2% to £250k, 5% to £925k, 10% to £1.5m, 12% above. Figures below are computed live from the same engine that powers the main SDLT calculator and reproduce against HMRC's official tool.

Mortgage context: at a 10% deposit (£25,000), the loan needed is £225,000. At a standard 4.5x loan-to-income multiplier the household would need £50,000 of gross annual income to qualify. See the mortgage affordability calculator for stress-tested monthly payments.

Headline figure

Total SDLT due

£2,500

Effective rate

1.00%

Cash needed at completion (SDLT + 10% deposit)

£27,500

Band breakdown

SDLT is charged in slices: each portion of the purchase price falls into one band and is taxed at that band's rate. The figures below match the gov.uk SDLT bands for the standard bands .

Band	Rate	Amount in band	Tax
£0 - £125,000	0.0%	£125,000	£0
£125,000 - £250,000	2.0%	£125,000	£2,500
Total SDLT		£250,000	£2,500

Same £250,000 price across all buyer types

Buyer status changes the SDLT bill dramatically at the same purchase price. The table below shows every scenario the SDLT engine handles for £250,000.

Buyer type	SDLT due	Effective rate	vs mover	Page
First-Time Buyer	£0	0.00%	-£2,500	View
Mover (this page)	£2,500	1.00%	-	-
Additional dwelling	£15,000	6.00%	+£12,500	View
Non-UK resident	£7,500	3.00%	+£5,000	View

Same buyer type at other price points

How SDLT scales for a mover as the purchase price moves up and down the ladder.

Price	SDLT due	Effective rate	Page
£250,000 (this page)	£2,500	1.00%	-
£125,000	£0	0.00%	View
£175,000	£1,000	0.57%	View
£350,000	£7,500	2.14%	View

Property tax in Scotland and Wales at £250,000

SDLT applies in England and Northern Ireland only. Scotland charges LBTT (different bands plus an 8% Additional Dwelling Supplement on the whole price); Wales charges LTT (no first-time-buyer relief). The same £250,000 purchase at the closest equivalent buyer status:

Region / tax	Tax due	Effective rate	Calculator
England / NI - SDLT (this page)	£2,500	1.00%	SDLT
Scotland - LBTT	£2,100	0.84%	LBTT £250,000
Wales - LTT	£1,500	0.60%	LTT £250,000

Mortgage affordability at £250,000

Buying a £250,000 property typically means a 10% deposit (£25,000) plus the £2,500 of SDLT. The loan needed is £225,000. Lender loan-to-income multipliers determine the income required:

Multiplier	Income needed	Common availability
4.0x (conservative)	£56,250	Most lenders' default for joint applicants
4.5x (standard)	£50,000	FPC portfolio-cap threshold; typical sole strong-income offer
5.0x (stretch)	£45,000	Specialist lenders, strong affordability evidence

Run the full affordability stress test (rate + 3pp, monthly payments, regional transaction tax) on the mortgage affordability calculator.

Next steps

Stamp Duty calculator hub - run any custom price + buyer combination.
Mortgage affordability calculator - income, deposit, and monthly-payment context.
Scotland LBTT calculator - different bands plus 8% ADS on additional dwellings.
Wales LTT calculator - different bands again; no FTB relief.
All buyer types at £250,000 - side-by-side four-scenario page.

Cite or embed - free under CC BY 4.0

Frequently asked questions

How much SDLT do I pay on a £250,000 property as a mover?: £2,500 of Stamp Duty Land Tax on a £250,000 purchase in England or Northern Ireland for the 2026/27 tax year, treated as a mover (replacement of main home). That works out to an effective rate of 1.00% across the whole purchase price. Standard SDLT bands apply: 0% to £125k, 2% to £250k, 5% to £925k, 10% to £1.5m, 12% above.
Would I save SDLT if I qualified as a first-time buyer?: Yes - a first-time buyer at £250,000 pays £0, a saving of £2,500 versus the standard mover rate of £2,500. To qualify, every buyer on the title must have never owned a residential property anywhere in the world.
What if I haven't sold my previous main home yet?: If you complete on the new home before selling the previous one, HMRC treats the purchase as an additional property and charges the +5% surcharge - £15,000 at this price instead of £2,500. You can claim the surcharge back if you sell the previous main home within 36 months of completion on the new one. Most movers either bridge the gap with a short-term loan or accept the surcharge upfront and reclaim it after sale.
When is SDLT due?: SDLT must be paid within 14 days of completion. Your conveyancing solicitor typically files the SDLT return and pays HMRC on your behalf at completion. Build the £2,500 into your completion-day cash budget along with the deposit balance and legal fees.