Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Key definition

Stamp duty definition

What does Stamp duty mean? Stamp duty is a documentary tax on instruments that transfer certain assets, most commonly UK certificated shares. In practice, it is paid on the executed stock transfer form, which must be stamped before the transferee can be registered. The charge is imposed by UK legislation (principally the Stamp Act 1891, as amended) and arises on execution of the instrument; HMRC collects the duty via the stamping process, with penalties and interest for late stamping. Reliefs and exemptions exist (for example for certain intra-group transfers and charities). For electronic or uncertificated share transfers, stamp duty reserve tax (SDRT) generally applies instead; where...

SDLT in England and Northern Ireland: Land Transactions, Chargeable Interests, Exempt Transactions and Interests, Deemed Acquisitions, and Options and Rights of Pre-emption

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Practice notes

Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT)

SDLT is payable on chargeable land transactions. As a result, grasping what counts as a land transaction, and the scope of that concept, is key to how SDLT applies to dealings in UK land. This Practice Note examines the meaning of land transaction and its key components, including:

the acquisition of a chargeable interest, and
the point at which a chargeable transaction arises

From 1 April 2015, SDLT no longer applies to any land transaction involving interests in or over land in Scotland. From that date, such transactions fall within land and buildings transaction tax (LBTT), subject to transitional provisions. Accordingly, any reference in this Practice Note to ‘UK land’ or similar wording, when considering SDLT, should be understood as excluding interests in or over Scottish land from 1 April 2015. For further information, see the LBTT subtopic.

SDLT likewise ceased to apply to any land transaction involving interests in or over land in Wales from 1 April 2018. From that date, land transaction tax (LTT) applies to those transactions, subject to transitional provisions...

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Web page updated on 21/05/2026

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