Stamp duty on a £400,000 property: £10,000 (England, 2026)
A main-home buyer in England pays £10,000 stamp duty on a £400,000 purchase — an effective rate of 2.5%. First-time buyer relief cuts the bill in half.
£0
Effective rate: 0.00%
Indicative — final stamp duty depends on the exact completion date and HMRC's published rules at that date. Always confirm with your conveyancer. Figures based on rules in force April 2026.
£400,000 — the SDLT bill in three bands
A main-home buyer in England pays:
- £0 on the first £125,000 (0%)
- £2,500 on the slice from £125,000 to £250,000 (2%)
- £7,500 on the slice from £250,000 to £400,000 (5%)
- Total: £10,000 (effective rate 2.5%)
The bands are cumulative. £400k sits squarely in the third band (5%, £250–925k), so every pound between £250,000 and £400,000 attracts 5%.
First-time buyer relief halves the bill
If both buyers (or the sole buyer) have never owned a home anywhere in the world before, England's FTB relief applies:
- 0% on the first £300,000
- 5% on the slice from £300,000 to £500,000
So for £400,000: 0% × £300k + 5% × £100k = £5,000. A clean £5,000 saving against the standard rate. (Both buyers must qualify on a joint purchase — one previously-owning partner kills the relief.)
Additional property triples the bill
A buy-to-let, second home or limited-company purchase pays the higher rates:
| Buyer type | Stamp duty on £400,000 (England) |
|---|---|
| Main home (UK resident) | £10,000 |
| First-time buyer (UK resident) | £5,000 |
| Additional property (UK resident) | £30,000 |
| Main home (non-UK resident) | £18,000 |
| Additional property (non-UK resident) | £38,000 |
Source: SDLT bands and surcharges as published on gov.uk for purchases completing in 2026.
Worked examples around £400k
Example 1 — Movers buying a £395,000 semi in Bristol. Main home, UK residents. Tax: £9,750. Negotiating £5k off the asking saved them £250 in stamp duty alongside the cash.
Example 2 — First-time buyers offering £405,000 on a flat in Manchester. With FTB relief: £5,250. Same flat at £305,000 would cost £250 — relief eats almost everything below the £300k second-band start.
Example 3 — Buy-to-let investor paying £400,000 for a Birmingham terrace. Higher rates: £30,000. On a 6% gross yield (£24,000/year rent), stamp duty alone wipes out 15 months of rent before any other costs.
Where Offrly fits
A £5,000 swing in the agreed price changes the stamp duty bill by £250. A £25,000 swing — well within typical UK valuation uncertainty at this price band — changes it by £1,250 and could push first-time buyers across the £500k cliff. Offrly's AI reads each comparable's photos, and hyperlocal pricing resolves prices to the street rather than the postcode — in about 30 seconds. Free. No email. So you walk into negotiation with a real number, not the asking price.
Other stamp duty calculators: £500,000 · £750,000 · £1m · First-time buyer · Additional property · Non-resident · Scotland (LBTT) · Wales (LTT) · Head calculator
Disclaimer: Indicative figures based on HMRC SDLT rules in force April 2026. Not tax advice. Confirm the binding figure with your conveyancer before exchange.
FAQ: Stamp duty on a £400,000 property: £10,000 (England, 2026)
How much is stamp duty on a £400,000 house in England?
£10,000 for a main-home buyer in 2026. The bill is built from 0% on the first £125,000, 2% on the slice to £250,000 and 5% on the £150,000 above. Effective rate is 2.5%.
What does a first-time buyer pay on a £400,000 home?
£5,000. First-time buyer relief in England gives 0% up to £300,000 and 5% on the slice to £500,000. So you pay 5% × £100,000 = £5,000 — half the standard rate.
What about a £400,000 buy-to-let or second home?
Higher rates apply: 5% surcharge across every band. Standard SDLT of £10,000 plus 5% × £400,000 = £30,000 total. That's an effective rate of 7.5% — material to any rental yield calculation.
Is £400,000 a sweet spot for stamp duty?
It's a clean band — well below the £500k FTB cliff, well below the £925k 10% band — but the marginal rate is still 5%. Chipping the price by £5,000 saves £250 in stamp duty plus the cash itself.
What about Scotland and Wales at £400k?
Scotland (LBTT) main rates: £13,350. Wales (LTT): £10,500. Both differ from England — switch the country dropdown above for the right number.