The chancellor has announced a temporary holiday on stamp duty up to £500,000 as part of a number of measures to help stimulate the economy. We have listed below the key facts following this announcement.
Prior to the announcement In England and Northern Ireland stamp duty was paid on land or property sold for £125,000 or more. First-time buyers paid no tax up to £300,000 and 5% on any portion between £300,000 and £500,000.
For people who have bought a home before, stamp duty rates are 2% on £125,001-£250,000, 5% on £250,001-£925,000, 10% on £925,001-£1.5m, and 12% on any value above £1.5m. Following the decision no stamp duty will be paid on purchases up to £500,000
Prior to the chancellors decision someone purchasing a property at £495,000 would pay £14,750 in stamp duty, a first time buyer would pay £9750. Assuming completion takes place before the 31st of March 2021 the stamp duty is now zero.
People buying second homes and buy-to-let properties will also benefit, but will still have to pay the 3% extra duty due on the entire price.
The holiday applies from the 8th of July, which unfortunately means if you completed on your property purchase yesterday or before you will have to pay the full normal stamp duty.
For homes costing more than £500,000, buyers will pay 0 per cent on the first £500,000, five per cent on the remaining sold price of homes priced up to £925,000 and 10 per cent on homes up to £1.5 million. This increases to 12 per cent for homes costing more than £1.5 million.
With 81% of all residential stock for sale in England priced under £500,000 this could be a real boost the housing market, although with lenders still reluctant to release 90 and 95 percent products many first time buyers may not be able to take advantage of this offer. Fortunately there are some excellent schemes available to help buyers purchase their first home. Your friendly Mortgage Required Advisor will be happy to discuss these with you. Give us a call on 01628 507477 or click here to book a free appointment.
If you would like any details Contact Mortgage Required for an initial chat on 01628 507477 or click here to book a free call or video appointment.
Download our Free First Time Buyers Guide
Recent posts
Housing Secretary Angela Rayner has announced a new measure to protect leaseholders in England and Wales from high fees and poorly regulated property management companies.
Saturday 26th September, Andy Burnham announced a new equity loan scheme called “Your First Home”. The scheme, which will be confirmed at next month’s budget, is aimed at first-time buyers looking to purchase a new-build property from a developer signed up to the scheme.
Losing your job or finding yourself ‘between jobs’ is, unsurprisingly, a stressful place to be. Keeping a cool head and taking action is important.
Best UK Mortgage Rates this Week
8 days ago
Here are the lowest fixed mortgage rates of the week, available to first-time buyers, home movers, buy-to-let, and those remortgaging.
Call us for more information: 01628 507477 or email: team@mortgagerequired.com.
Flats 40% cheaper to buy than houses
13 days ago
This price gap between the cost of houses and flats is the biggest it has ever been. Houses are now costing 1.7 times more than a flat, which is 0.4 times higher than 10 years ago
Take a look at our list of houses vs. flats per area.
Are mortgage rates set to increase?
22 days ago
We have seen several lenders increase their mortgage rates over the last couple of weeks. This suggests mortgage rates are likely to rise.
Although nothing is set in stone, lender repricing, rising swap rates, and continued economic uncertainty suggest borrowers should prepare for higher mortgage costs.
AI-altered images put off over half of buyers
24 Aug 2026
According to data from House Buyer Bureau, where over 900 UK homebuyers were surveyed, 54% of people said that they immediately ruled out digitally enhanced property listings.
April Mortgages offer 7x Income Mortgage
13 Aug 2026
April Mortgages - only accessed via a mortgage broker - offers first-time buyers, renters, and home-movers the option to borrow up to 7 times their income on its longer-term mortgages.
More information
Trusted by
