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Stamp duty on a £500,000 house is £3,750 for first-time buyers or £15,000 for home movers.

Stamp Duty Summary

Buyer Type Stamp Duty Effective Rate
First-time buyer £3,750 0.75%
Home mover £15,000 3.0%
Second home/BTL £27,000 5.4%

How Stamp Duty is Calculated

Home Movers (Standard Rates)

Band Rate Taxable Amount Tax
£0 - £125,000 0% £125,000 £0
£125,001 - £250,000 2% £125,000 £2,500
£250,001 - £500,000 5% £250,000 £12,500
Total £15,000

First-Time Buyers

Band Rate Taxable Amount Tax
£0 - £425,000 0% £425,000 £0
£425,001 - £500,000 5% £75,000 £3,750
Total £3,750

Second Home / Buy-to-Let (3% Surcharge)

Band Rate Taxable Amount Tax
£0 - £125,000 3% £125,000 £3,750
£125,001 - £250,000 5% £125,000 £6,250
£250,001 - £500,000 8% £250,000 £20,000
Total £30,000

Total Purchase Costs at £500K

Cost First-Time Buyer Home Mover
House price £500,000 £500,000
Deposit (10%) £50,000 £50,000
Stamp duty £3,750 £15,000
Solicitor £2,400 £2,400
Survey £800 £800
Total upfront £56,950 £68,200

FTB Relief Limit Explained

At £500,000, you’re £125,000 above the full FTB relief threshold:

Property Price FTB Stamp Duty FTB Saving vs Home Mover
£425,000 £0 £8,750
£450,000 £1,250 £9,500
£500,000 £3,750 £11,250
£550,000 £6,250 £12,500
£625,000 £10,000 £13,750
Over £625,000 No relief £0

Note: FTB relief only applies on properties up to £625,000 total.

Should You Buy at £499,999?

Price FTB Stamp Duty Difference
£500,000 £3,750
£499,999 £3,750 £0.05 saved

No significant difference — the threshold isn’t at £500K.

Impact on Monthly Budget

Adding stamp duty to your mortgage costs more long-term:

Stamp Duty Added to Mortgage Interest (5%, 25yr) True Cost
£3,750 £3,750 £2,823 £6,573
£15,000 £15,000 £11,295 £26,295

Pay stamp duty upfront if possible to avoid extra interest.

WealthVieu
Written by WealthVieu

WealthVieu researches and writes data-driven personal finance guides using primary sources including the IRS, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Federal Reserve, and Census Bureau.

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