Updated to 11 December 2024 LTT rates
Buy-to-Let LTT Calculator (Wales)
Buy-to-let, second home, or any additional property in Wales: the separate higher-residential bands (not a per-band surcharge like SDLT, not a flat supplement like LBTT). Each band has its own legislated rate.
- Purchase price (94.0%)
- LTT (6.0%)
LTT adds about 6.4% on top of the purchase price.
| Purchase price | £280,000 |
|---|---|
| Higher: 5.0% band | |
| £180,000 at 5.0% | £9,000 |
| Higher: 8.5% band | |
| £70,000 at 8.5% | £5,950 |
| Higher: 10.0% band | |
| £30,000 at 10.0% | £3,000 |
| Total LTT | £17,950 |
| Total cash required | £297,950 |
Information
Buying a buy-to-let, second home, holiday home, or any additional residential property in Wales triggers the higher residential rates: a separate band schedule with materially elevated rates compared to the main residential bands. Limited-company purchases also fall here; Wales has no special corporate rate.
How LTT's higher rates differ from England's and Scotland's. England's SDLT adds a flat +5% surcharge to every band of the standard table. Scotland's LBTT adds a flat 8% ADS on the entire purchase price, on top of standard LBTT. Wales is different: the higher-rates band table is independently legislated; each band has its own rate, not derived from the main rates. The result is broadly comparable in £ terms but mechanically distinct.
Welsh Budget 2024. Every higher-rates band was raised by 1 percentage point effective 11 December 2024 (Main residential rates were unchanged). Change the completion-date input to see pre-Dec-2024 figures.
Refund eligibility. If you're replacing your only main residence and the previous sale completes within 3 years, the higher-rates LTT is refundable down to the main-rates figure. This calc shows the headline higher-rates total; refund claim is downstream.
What's not. England and Northern Ireland have SDLT; Scotland has LBTT. Use the region pills above to switch. Mixed-use / commercial property has a different rate schedule.
FAQ
- What counts as an additional property under LTT higher rates?
Any residential property you'll own at completion that isn't your main residence: buy-to-let, holiday homes, accidental-landlord cases. The higher rates also apply to all corporate purchases. Refundable if you replace your only main residence and sell the previous one within 3 years.
- Is there a first-time-buyer relief in Wales?
No. Wales chose to set the highest universal nil-rate band in the UK (£225,000) instead of a separate FTB carve-out. An FTB and a non-FTB buying the same £250,000 home in Wales pay the same LTT. England (£300k FTB nil-band with a £500k cap) and Scotland (£175k FTB nil-band, no cap) handle the FTB case via dedicated relief.
- I'm buying through a limited company: is there a special Welsh rate?
No. Companies and other non-natural persons pay the higher residential rates by default, the same as any additional-property buyer. Wales has no equivalent of England's flat 17%/15% corporate rate or Scotland's flat ADS.
- How do the higher residential rates work?
They're a fully separate band table for additional-property purchases. Each band has its own rate (currently 5% / 8.5% / 10% / 12.5% / 15% / 17% across the bands). It's NOT 'standard rates + Δ'; the rates are independently legislated. The Welsh Budget 2024 raised every higher-rates band by 1pp effective 11 December 2024.
- Do I pay LTT in England or Scotland?
No. England and Northern Ireland have Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT); Scotland has Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT). Use the region selector at the top of this page to switch between them.
Recent changes
-
Welsh Budget 2024: higher residential rates raised by 1 percentage point across every band. Main residential rates unchanged.
-
Main residential nil-rate band permanently raised from £180,000 to £225,000 (continuing the holiday-era level above the original launch threshold). Higher rates table unchanged.
-
Pandemic-era stamp-duty holiday raised the main residential nil-rate band to £250,000 temporarily. Higher rates table also shifted.
-
Land Transaction Tax replaces UK Stamp Duty Land Tax in Wales. Initial main residential bands established with a £180,000 nil-rate; higher residential rates introduced as a separate band table from day one. Administered by the Welsh Revenue Authority.
Sources
- Land Transaction Tax: rates and bands (Welsh Government)
- Higher residential rates of Land Transaction Tax (Welsh Government)
Disclaimer
Not financial or legal advice. Figures are computed from the legislative tables published by the Welsh Revenue Authority and do not account for refund eligibility (replacement-of-main-residence within 3 years) or other personal-circumstance adjustments. Consult a Welsh conveyancer for the authoritative figure on your specific purchase.
