Stamp Duty Land Tax on Leasehold sales
Find out about Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) on leasehold properties.
Overview
You do not pay SDLT if you buy a property in:
- Scotland from 1 April 2015 — you pay Land and Buildings Transaction Tax
- Wales from 1 April 2018 — you pay Land Transaction Tax (LTT)
The amount of SDLT you pay when you buy a leasehold property, depends on if it’s an existing lease (an assigned lease) or a new one.
Assigned leases
Residential and non-residential properties are leasehold or freehold.
Example
A developer builds some flats and sells them on 99 year leases. You buy one of the 99 year leases and sell it when it still has 88 years to run. You assign the lease to the new owner for the rest of the period.
The new owner pays a lump sum for the assignment of the lease and pays SDLT on this amount.
In most cases, use the same rates and thresholds to work out the amount of SDLT as you would if you bought a freehold property (residential or non-residential freehold).
Filling in the SDLT return
The rules for filling in the SDLT return for an assigned lease are the same as the rules for a freehold property. Fill in a return if the sale price is £40,000 or more, even if no SDLT is due.
New leases
If you buy a new lease, the SDLT you pay depends on the amount of:
- the premium
- any rent due
New leases with a nominal rent
When you buy a new lease and pay a premium, but only a nominal rent (a peppercorn for example), calculate SDLT on the amount of the premium only. This applies for both a residential or non-residential lease.
Calculate the SDLT on the premium in the same way as you would for the sale price of a freehold property. Fill in an SDLT return if the sale price is £40,000 or more, even if no SDLT is due. If the lease is less than 7 years and no tax is due, you do not need to do a return.
New leases with more than a nominal rent
If you buy a new lease, pay a premium and more than a nominal rent, work out the SDLT on:
- the premium
- the value of rent payable over the term of the lease at present day prices (net present value (NPV))
Normally, you only pay SDLT on the rent if it’s high. It depends on the length of the lease, for example £4,500 a year for a 99 year lease.
Calculations for residential or non-residential leases
There are different rules to work out the SDLT on new residential and non-residential leases.
Residential property is:
- a building used or suitable to use as a private home
- a building adapted to use as a private home
- land that’s the garden or grounds of a private home (including a right or interest in that land)
If you buy 6 or more separate properties in one transaction, it counts as non-residential.
New residential leases
When you buy a new residential lease, work out both the amount due on the premium and on the rent. Add them together for the total amount due.
SDLT on the premium
Work out the SDLT on the premium as if it was the sale price of a freehold property. Do not take into account the level of the rent due under the lease.
Example
You pay a premium of £275,000 on a new residential lease, you pay SDLT at the rate of 0% on the first £250,000 and 5% on the rest (£25,000). The amount you pay is £1,250.
If you purchased a new residential lease before 23 September 2022, different SDLT rates and thresholds applied.
The NPV of the rent
If the NPV of the rent is more than the SDLT NPV threshold on residential property, the buyer pays SDLT on the rent in addition to any SDLT due on the premium.
Where SDLT is due on the NPV, you must calculate the tax at a flat rate of 1% on the amount of the NPV that’s over the SDLT NPV threshold. If you’ve already used the threshold, for example with a linked lease, then use 1% on the total NPV to calculate the tax.
Example
You are granted a new residential lease. The NPV of the rent under the lease is £260,000, the amount of the NPV that’s over the £250,000 residential threshold is £10,000. Pay SDLT on £10,000 at 1%. Add this to the amount of SDLT due on the premium.
If you purchased a new residential lease before 23 September 2022, different SDLT rates and thresholds applied.
Fill in the return
For new leases, fill in the SDLT return even if there’s no SDLT due, unless either the lease is for:
- 7 years or more, the premium is less than £40,000 and the annual rent is less than £1,000
- less than 7 years and you do not pay SDLT on any part of the premium or rent
Fill in the SDLT return online and calculate and pay any tax due.
Calculate SDLT on new non-residential leases
The amount of SDLT due when you buy a new non-residential lease depends on the amounts of the premium (or purchase price of the lease) and rent you pay under the lease.
The premium
If the annual rent for the lease (not the NPV) is less than £1,000, as a buyer you pay SDLT on the premium. This is at the same rate you would pay on the sale price of a freehold non-residential property. This means you’ll only have to pay SDLT if the premium is more than the threshold.
From 17 March 2016 you do not have to pay SDLT on the premium for annual rents of £1,000 or more if the premium is under the £150,000 non-residential threshold. The ‘£1,000 rule’ has been abolished from this date.
Example
You pay a premium of £280,000 for some office space. The SDLT due would be calculated as follows:
| Charge | Rate |
|---|---|
| 0% on the first £150,000 | £0 |
| 2% on the next £100,000 | £2,000 |
| 5% on the next £30,000 | £1,500 |
| Total SDLT due | £3,500 |
The NPV of the rent
If the NPV of the rent is over the non-residential SDLT threshold (£150,000), you pay SDLT on the rent as well as on the premium.
Example
The NPV of the rent for a non-residential lease is £5,100,000. The SDLT due would be calculated as follows:
| Charge | Rate |
|---|---|
| 0% on the first £150,000 | £0 |
| 1% on the next £4,850,000 | £48,500 |
| 2% on the next £100,000 | £2,000 |
| Total SDLT due | £50,500 |
Calculate the NPV of the rent
Use the SDLT lease transactions calculator to work out the NPV and the amount of any SDLT due. Select ‘residential’ or ‘non-residential’ as appropriate, for the property type. Make sure you’ve these details to hand:
- effective date of the transaction — usually the date of completion
- start and end dates as shown in the lease
- total premium payable (for non-residential or mixed used properties)
- rent payable in each of the first 5 years, if you know it
If the term of the lease is longer than 5 years, the calculator will work out the amount of SDLT due by taking the highest rent payable in the first 5 years. It will apply that amount to each year of the rest of the term.
If VAT is payable on the rent
Include any VAT payable on the rent in the NPV calculation. Use the rates:
- 1 January 2010 to 3 January 2011 inclusive — 17.5%
- 4 January 2011 onwards — 20%
All or part of rent unknown or uncertain
When you buy a lease, you may not know how much the rent will be each year, for example because the amount depends on how well the business does.
In this case, when you work out the NPV of the rent, estimate what the rent will be to calculate the SDLT due. Then, recalculate the NPV when either:
- you know the actual amount of the rent
- the first 5 years have passed
If your recalculation shows that the NPV is more than the amount you used on your original SDLT return, tell HMRC and pay any extra tax due.
Write to the Birmingham Stamp Office within 30 days of the review date to tell them the revised figure for the NPV. Include the extra payment due. You must write even if you made the original notification online.
If your recalculation shows that you overestimated the NPV and paid too much SDLT, write to claim a refund.
Term of lease is unknown or indefinite
If you do not know the term of the lease or it’s not definite, count it as a lease for a fixed term of one year to calculate the NPV. If it carries on after the end of the first year, count it as a lease for a fixed term of 2 years and so on for as long as it continues. This is a ‘growing lease’.
If the lease is a growing lease, fill in the SDLT return if either:
- SDLT is due when the lease is granted
- SDLT becomes due as the lease continues
If a tenancy carries on from one period to the next it’s called a ‘periodic tenancy’ (unless either party gives notice to end it). This is the most common example of an indefinite lease.
Lease surrendered and new lease granted on the same property
There are special rules to use when a landlord surrenders a lease early and grants a new lease to the same tenant for the same property.
Original lease granted on or after 1 December 2003
If the rent for the new lease is higher than the rent for the old one, calculate the NPV for the period covering:
- the start of the new lease
- the date when the old lease was due to end — use only the amount of rent increase
This is an overlap period and you may be able to claim overlap relief.
Original lease granted before 1 December 2003
If the original lease was a ‘Stamp Duty lease’ and granted before SDLT was introduced on 1 December 2003, use the whole rent for the term of the new lease to calculate the NPV.
Original lease granted on or after 17 March 2016
If the rent for the new lease is higher than the rent for the old one, calculate the NPV for the period covering the:
- start of the new lease
- date when the old lease was due to end — use only the amount of rent increase
This is an overlap period and you may be able to claim overlap relief.
Example
The monthly rent increases by £200 at the start of the new lease, and the old lease is due to end 12 months later, the amount of rent taken into account for this period is £2,400. Then, take into account the full rent due for the rest of the term of the new lease.
If you have problems with the calculation, contact the Birmingham Stamp Office.
Guidance is available on the reform of structure, rates and thresholds for non-residential land transactions.
Updates to this page
Last updated 23 September 2022 + show all updates
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Example calculations have been added to 'SDLT on the Premium' and 'The NPV of the rent' sections, showing the new Stamp Duty Land Tax rates introduced on 23 September 2022.
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The Section about SDLT on the premium has been updated as the Stamp Duty Land Tax holiday rates ended on 30 September 2021.
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The title of the page has been changed to Stamp Duty Land Tax on Leasehold sales.
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Purchase deadlines extended for reduced rates for Stamp duty Land Tax.
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The government has temporarily increased the nil rate bands of residential Stamp Duty Land Tax from £125,000 to £500,000.
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From 1 April 2018 SDLT will no longer apply in Wales. You'll pay Land Transaction Tax which is dealt with by the Welsh Revenue Authority.
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First published.