Stamp Duty Land Tax – All you need to know

What is Stamp Duty Land Tax?

Stamp Duty is a tax you might have to pay if you buy a residential property or a piece of land in the United Kingdom over a certain price.

The current SDLT threshold for residential properties is £250,000.

The threshold for non-residential land and properties is £150,000.

You pay the tax when you:

• buy a freehold property
• buy a new or existing leasehold
• buy a property through a shared ownership scheme
• are transferred land or property in exchange for payment, e.g., you take on a mortgage or buy a share in a house

Thresholds:

• The threshold is where SDLT starts to apply. If you buy a property for less than the threshold, there’s no SDLT to pay.
• The current SDLT threshold for residential properties is £250,000.
• The threshold for non-residential land and properties is £150,000.

Stamp Duty Rates

There are several band rates for Stamp Duty.

The tax is calculated on the part of the property purchase price falling within each band.

You’ll pay Stamp Duty on the purchase of your main property costing more than £250,000.

Money Helper has a helpful stamp duty calculator if you’re interested in calculating the stamp duty yourself. Visit www.moneyhelper.org.uk/en/homes/buying-a-home/stamp-duty-calculator

When do you pay?

You have 14 days to file a Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) return and pay any SDLT due.

If you don’t submit a return and pay the tax within 14 days, HMRC might charge you penalties and interest.

How do I file and pay?

Usually, a solicitor will deal with the Stamp Duty return and any payment due for you, although you can do it yourself.

Either way, you’re responsible for making sure it’s all submitted on time.

To file your SDLT return yourself you must visit gov.uk, and log into your online account.

For more guidance on filing and paying SDLT visit, here.

I need help with SDLT, what do I do?

At Spectrum we are most likely to advise you to speak to a conveyancing solicitor, but please don’t hesitate to give us a call on 01179 902218 or email us here so we can direct you in the right direction.

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Categorised in: Archived

This post was written by Daisy Vowles