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Stamp Duty Land Tax is payable by the purchaser in a land transaction which includes a simple conveyance of land such as buying a house but also creating a lease or assigning a lease. If you are considering property investment or acquiring a lease on a commercial property in the London area we, at Parfitt Cresswell, can help you to make property acquisitions in a tax efficient manner.
SDLT is payable by the purchaser in a land transaction in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
A transaction will trigger liability if it involves the acquisition of an interest in land. This will include a simple conveyance of land such as buying a house, creating a lease or assigning a lease.
The tax has to be paid when a contract has been substantially performed. In cases where the purchaser takes possession of the property on completion that will be the date. However, if the purchaser effectively takes possession before completion - known as ‘resting on contract’ - that will be regarded as triggering the tax.
Each SDLT rate is payable on the portion of the property value which falls within each band.
The current rates and thresholds are :
Consideration |
Rates paid on the part of the property price within each tax band {5502521d6b47dce9d90ddce899a34a6371b5373f5b168c00e5b6a4c62753228f} |
---|---|
£0 - £125,000 | 0 |
£125,001 - £250,000 | 2 |
£250,001 - £925,000 | 5 |
£925,001 - £1,500,000 | 10 |
£1,500,001 and above | 12 |
From 1 April 2016 higher rates of SDLT are charged on purchases of additional residential properties (above £40,000).
The main target of the higher rates is purchases of buy to let properties or second homes. However, there will be some purchasers who will have to pay the additional charge even though the property purchased will not be a buy to let or a second home. The proposed 36 month rules set out below will help to remove some transactions from the additional rates (or allow a refund).
Care will be needed if an individual already owns, or partly owns, a property and transacts to purchase another property without having disposed of the first property.
The higher rates are three percentage points above the SDLT rates shown in the table above. The higher rates potentially apply if, at the end of the day of the purchase transaction, the individual owns two or more residential properties.
Some further detail:
The rates for non-residential and mixed property are set out in the table below.
From 17 March 2016 the SDLT rates are payable on the portion of the property value which falls within each band.
Non - residential and mixed |
Rate {5502521d6b47dce9d90ddce899a34a6371b5373f5b168c00e5b6a4c62753228f} |
---|---|
£0 - £150,000 | 0 |
£150,001 - £250,000 | 2 |
£250,001 and over | 5 |
Prior to 17 March 2016 SDLT was charged at a single percentage of the price paid for the property, depending on the rate band within which the purchase price falls. The whole of the price was taxed at the appropriate rate:
Non - residential and mixed |
Rate {5502521d6b47dce9d90ddce899a34a6371b5373f5b168c00e5b6a4c62753228f} |
---|---|
£0 - £150,000 | 0 |
£150,001 - £250,000 | 1 |
£250,001 and over | 3 |
£500,001 and over | 4 |
Broadly speaking, 'residential property' means a building that is suitable for use as a dwelling. Obviously it includes ordinary houses. Buildings such as hotels are not residential.
There is a relief available for purchasers of residential property who acquire interests in more than one dwelling at the same time. Where the relief is claimed the rate of SDLT is determined not by the aggregate consideration but instead by the mean consideration (ie by the aggregate consideration divided by the number of dwellings) subject to a minimum rate of 1{5502521d6b47dce9d90ddce899a34a6371b5373f5b168c00e5b6a4c62753228f}.
Yes. There are a number of situations in which the transfer of land will not be caught for SDLT. These include:
Tax is chargeable on the consideration. This will usually be the actual cash that passes on the sale. However the definition is very wide and is intended to catch all sorts of situations where value might be given other than in cash. For example if the purchaser agrees to do certain work on the property.
If an existing lease is purchased, SDLT is calculated in the same way as the purchase of a freehold property. If a lease is created for the payment of a premium ie a lump sum in addition to any rent, then the amount of the premium is the consideration subject to SDLT and is also calculated in the same way as the purchase of a freehold property.
However, there is also a potential charge to SDLT on the rental element. The calculation takes account of various factors including the rent that will be paid under the lease. If the calculated value exceeds £125,000 for residential property and £150,000 for non-residential, the excess is charged at 1{5502521d6b47dce9d90ddce899a34a6371b5373f5b168c00e5b6a4c62753228f}.
A new 2{5502521d6b47dce9d90ddce899a34a6371b5373f5b168c00e5b6a4c62753228f} rate for rent paid under a non-residential lease taken out on or after 17 March 2016 will be introduced where the NPV of the rent is above £5 million.
The government has SDLT calculators which work out the amount of SDLT payable. The calculators can be found here.
The purchaser must complete an SDLT1 return and this must be submitted to a special HMRC office within 30 days of the transaction. You must also send a cheque for the tax at the same time so this means that you have to calculate the tax due. A late return triggers an automatic penalty of £100, and late payment of the tax will mean a charge to interest.
A certificate will be sent to you to show that you have paid the tax. You will need this in order to change the details of the property ownership at the Land Registry. The fact that HMRC has given you the certificate does not mean your calculations are agreed. HMRC has nine months in which to decide whether or not to enquire into your return and challenge your figures.
If you are planning to enter into an arrangement to purchase land, in the London area we can advise you of the precise impact of Stamp Duty Land Tax on the transaction so please contact us at Parfitt Cresswell. We can also help you complete the SDLT1 and submit it to HMRC.