We have tried to answer all of the most common questions about the services that we provide, however, if you have a question that is not answered below please contact us so that we can help to answer your query.
Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) is a payment that must be made to HM Revenue & Customs on purchases of property and land in England and Northern Ireland.
Stamp Duty is paid when you first buy a property and doesn’t need to be calculated again unless ownership is transferred (whether it be full or part ownership). What this means is that stamp duty is calculated each time a person buys a share of a property.
The home buyer is responsible for paying stamp duty if it is required on the property they are purchasing.
You have 14 days from the effective date of the transaction to file your Stamp Duty Land Tax return and pay the money owed to HMRC. A solicitor will normally file the stamp duty return on your behalf, and then add it onto their fees.
You can use the SDLT Calculator to see how much Stamp Duty you will pay on a property.
The current SDLT Rates are as follows:
Property Purchase Price | SDLT Rate * |
Up to £250,000 | 0% |
The next £675,000 (£250,001 – £925,000) | 5% |
The next £575,000 (£925,001 – £1.5 million) | 10% |
The remaining amount (anything over £1.5 million) | 12% |
Source: gov.uk
* Correct as of October 2023
If you are buying an additional residential property, you will pay 3% on top of the SDLT rates shown in the table above.
SDLT relief is available to all first time buyers, making the rates for first time buyers as follows:
Property Purchase Price | SDLT Rate * |
Up to £425,000 | 0% |
The next £200,000 (£425,001 – £625,000) | 5% |
Source: gov.uk
* Correct as of October 2023
If you are a first time buyer purchasing a property over £625,000, you will not be eligible for SDLT relief.
There are certain circumstances where you are exempt from paying stamp duty, including:
- If a property is left to you in a will
- If property is transferred because of divorce or dissolution of a civil partnership
- If you buy a freehold property for less than £40,000
For more information on when stamp duty exemptions apply, get in touch with our team of experts.
As an extra 3% must be paid on top of SDLT rates if you purchase an additional property, you may be eligible for a refund if you sell your previous property within 36 months.
If your main residence doesn’t sell within 36 months, you may still be eligible for a refund in some circumstances. If you are unsure and need assistance, get advice from experts such as Capex Tax.
If you supply HMRC with all the correct and relevant information they need to process your claim, you should hear back within 15 days.
If your claim is not settled within this time, and you have provided all of the correct documentation and information needed, you may be able to claim some interest due on the refund, but you will not be able to file for compensation.
Yes, if you feel as if you have overpaid on stamp duty land tax, you can make an SDLT refund claim to claim back what you are owed.
Get in touch with our team today to discuss your situation and begin you SDLT claim.
To encourage businesses operating in the UK to invest in innovation, take on new employees, and ultimately grow their company, the government provides them with R&D Tax Credit.
R&D Tax Credit is for companies that work to resolve uncertainties within the fields of science and technology, this could be through the creation or development of products, processes, or services. It is available to Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
If you are unsure whether you could qualify for R&D Tax Credit, speak to CapEx Tax for advice tailored to you.
There are strict requirements that need to be met in order to claim R&D tax relief, including proving that your research is attempting to advance science and technology. This isn’t often clear-cut, which is where Capex Tax comes in to help determine whether you are likely to be eligible for tax relief and assist with the process.
The Research & Development Expenditure Credit (RDEC) Scheme works in the same way as R&D Tax Credit, however, it is typically only available to large companies and has different credit rates.
Capital allowances are a form of tax relief where expenses can be claimed back by businesses, meaning that are excluded from tax calculations.
Capital allowances work by letting businesses deduct some or all of an item’s value from their overall profits before the amount of tax they need to pay is calculated.
It is possible to claim capital allowances on equipment, machinery, and business vehicles. These are also known as plant and machinery allowances.
There are other capital allowances you may be able to claim, such as the Regional Growth Fund Scheme, so it is important to speak to an expert like Capex Tax to get the full benefit of the scheme.