Around 83% of homeowners will have to pay stamp duty from April onwards, a jump from around 49% currently, figures show.
According to analysis from Zoopla, only 17% of homeowners will pay no stamp duty on purchases below £125,000.
Zoopla explained that around 49% of homeowner purchases over £250,000 will pay an extra £2,500 in stamp duty from April.
The third buying properties between £125,000 and £250,000 will pay 2% on the purchase price up to a maximum of £2,500.
Overall, this will generate an additional £900m in stamp duty.
The North West will see the largest percentage uplift in sales paying stamp duty, with a 67% increase, followed by the East Midlands at 55% and Northern Ireland at 50%.
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London has the smallest percentage uplift at 8%, with the South East reporting a 20% uplift and Eastern England estimating a 21% uplift.
| Region | Percentage of sales paying stamp duty today | Percentage of sales paying stamp duty from April 2025 | Percentage uplift in sales paying stamp duty |
| North East | 7% | 40% | 33% |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 8% | 56% | 47% |
| Northern Ireland | 10% | 59% | 50% |
| North West | 16% | 83% | 67% |
| West Midlands | 20% | 61% | 41% |
| East Midlands | 29% | 84% | 55% |
| South West | 49% | 90% | 41% |
| Eastern England | 73% | 95% | 21% |
| South East | 75% | 95% | 20% |
| London | 89% | 97% | 8% |
| England and NI | 49% | 83% | 34% |
First-time buyer impact pronounced in London and South East
Zoopla research shows that, currently, 21% of first-time buyer sales pay stamp duty, and this is expected to increase to 42% post-April 2025.
The firm said this would hit London and South East buyers in the £300,000-625,000 range the hardest, with costs of up to £15,000 per purchase.
Buying at £350,000 will cost £2,500 per purchase, up from nothing today. Buying a £500,000 home will cost £10,000 in stamp duty, up from £3,750 currently, and buying at £550,000 will mean a jump from £6,250 to £15,000.
| Region | Percentage of FTBs paying stamp duty today | FTBs paying stamp duty from April 2025 | Percentage uplift |
| North East | 0% | 2% | 1% |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 1% | 3% | 3% |
| Northern Ireland | 1% | 5% | 3% |
| North West | 1% | 5% | 4% |
| West Midlands | 1% | 7% | 6% |
| East Midlands | 1% | 9% | 8% |
| South West | 3% | 20% | 17% |
| Eastern England | 16% | 50% | 34% |
| South East | 17% | 51% | 34% |
| London | 49% | 79% | 30% |
| England and NI | 21% | 42% | 21% |
Eastern England will see the largest uplift, at 34%, along with the South East. London will experience a 30% uplift.
The North East is only expected to rise by around 1%, while Yorkshire and the Humber and Northern Ireland are expected to see a 3% uplift.
The report added that 58% of first-time buyer sales will be stamp duty-free, as they only have to pay stamp duty on purchases over £300,000, which would help “those buying in areas with lower house prices”.
Zoopla estimates this will generate an additional £200m in stamp duty.
Stamp duty changes could lower buying power and market activity in some areas
Richard Donnell, executive director at Zoopla, said stamp duty has “become a big source of tax revenue”, approaching £10bn per year for the government.
He continued: “The reduction in tax reliefs from April will see more homebuyers paying stamp duty. Existing homeowners will pay up to £2,500 more for each purchase across a large number of sales.
“The average seller has made £60,000 in capital gains, so there is flexibility to absorb this cost, but buyers will expect to factor this extra cost into what they offer.”
He continued: “It’s positive that most first-time buyers will still pay no stamp duty from April, but these changes hit those buying over £300,000 in Southern England the most, where buying costs are already high. This will reduce buying power and market activity at a local level.
“Stamp duty is a big tax on homemovers in Southern England, where affordability problems are already a major challenge. The case for reforming stamp duty remains, but the question is where to replace the multi-billion in annual tax revenues.”
Research from Skipton earlier today showed that the proportion of local authority areas across Great Britain where the average first-time buyer properties will fall in the scope of stamp duty will go from 8.4% in the prior quarter to around 32% post-change.
