Purchase cost calculator
See exactly what lands on top of the price when you buy a home in the UK, line by line. Stamp duty, legal fees, land registry, currency costs and everything else in one table, ending with the cash that must be ready on completion day.
Note: stamp duty and the land registry fee are calculated exactly, from the official scales. The other items are market averages. The calculation covers England and Northern Ireland; Scotland and Wales apply different taxes.
How much cash do you need at completion?
Enter the price and the loan amount, then choose your buyer profile. The left column lists the costs item by item; the right column shows the total cash that must be ready on completion day.
Purchase costs
Cash you need
What each cost is, and when it falls due
Some costs fall before exchange, some on completion, and stamp duty within 14 days of completion.
| Pen | Typical amount | When it falls due |
|---|---|---|
| Stamp duty land tax (SDLT) | Depends on price and buyer profile | Within 14 days of completion |
| Legal fees | £1,295 + VAT | On completion |
| Leasehold supplement | £250 + VAT | On completion |
| Deed of guarantee advice | £250 + VAT | On completion |
| SDLT return preparation | £50 + VAT | On completion |
| Local authority and property searches | £250 – £350 | Before exchange |
| Land registry fee | £20 – £500 | On completion |
| Building survey | £650 – £1,500 | Before exchange |
| Snagging survey | £350 – £500 | Before handover |
| Mortgage product and valuation fee | 0% – 2% of the loan | On application or at completion |
| Mortgage broker fee | £995 – £2,500, or 1% – 2% of the loan | When the offer is issued |
| Transfer and identity checks | £36 – £110 | On completion |
| Property price | Fee |
|---|---|
| £0 – £80,000 | £20 |
| £80,001 – £100,000 | £40 |
| £100,001 – £200,000 | £100 |
| £200,001 – £500,000 | £150 |
| £500,001 – £1,000,000 | £295 |
| Above £1,000,000 | £500 |
The legal items are taken from a written quote by a UK conveyancing firm and vary by firm and transaction type. The registry fees apply when your solicitor files electronically; a postal application costs close to twice as much. The calculator uses the electronic scale.
Excluding stamp duty and mortgage fees, purchase costs on a typical home come to between £2,800 and £4,300.
A freehold resale sits near the bottom of that range. A leasehold flat, a new build and a company purchase move it towards the top. If you are taking a mortgage, add a product fee of roughly 1% of the loan.
The item that really decides the total is stamp duty, which ranges from nothing to 19% of the price depending on your buyer profile. The calculator above gives the exact figure for your situation.
Five things that surprise the budget
Most buyers know about stamp duty and are surprised by the rest. These are the items most often missed.
Stamp duty
Almost always the largest single item. An additional property adds 5% to every band and a non-resident buyer adds 2%, making 7% together. On an £800,000 flat a resident buying their main home pays £27,500, while a non-resident investor buying a second property pays £86,000.
Legal fees and searches
The conveyancer handling the transfer charges between £1,400 and £2,500 excluding VAT. A leasehold flat, a new build and a company purchase each add their own supplement. Local authority, drainage and environmental searches add a further £350 to £500.
The mortgage side
On most products the arrangement fee is around 1% of the loan; some products charge nothing but carry a higher rate. Add the valuation fee and the broker fee to that: non-resident buyers are typically charged between £2,000 and £2,500, and some firms take 1% to 2% of the loan. On company purchases some banks also pass on their own legal costs, so ask when the offer arrives. Adding the product fee to the loan lowers the cash you need at completion but raises the total interest. We charge no broker fee to clients who buy through capital.works®; the lender’s product and valuation fee belongs to the bank.
Surveys and snagging
A building survey is not compulsory on a resale but is worth doing; the defects it finds are used in the price negotiation. On a new build a pre-handover snagging survey takes its place, and the developer must put the listed items right before handing over.
Costs nobody budgets for
Expenses that are invisible at purchase but arrive within the first year: service charge and ground rent (£2,000 to £6,000 a year on a leasehold flat), buildings insurance, council tax, furnishings and, if you are letting, the managing agent's fee. These are not included in this calculator.
When does the money leave?
A purchase is not paid in one go. Knowing which cost falls at which stage matters for cash planning.
Reservation
On a new build a reservation fee of £2,000 to £5,000 is paid. It is deducted from the price but is not refundable if you withdraw.
Exchange of contracts
Contracts are usually signed within 21 to 28 days and the first slice of the deposit, most often 10%, is paid. There is no way back after this point.
Searches and survey
The solicitor carries out the local authority, drainage and environmental searches; the building survey or snagging inspection is completed at this stage.
Completion
The balance and all the costs are paid and the keys are handed over. The money must be in the solicitor's account on that date.
Filing and registration
Stamp duty is filed within 14 days and the title is registered at HM Land Registry. The solicitor handles both.
Common questions about purchase costs
For a resident buying a main home they usually stay between 2% and 5%. For a non-resident investor buying a second property, stamp duty alone passes 7%, so the total lands between 10% and 13%. The calculator gives the exact figure for your profile.
No, because it is deducted from the purchase price. It is not refundable if you do not proceed to exchange, so it is money at risk. It does not appear as a separate line in the calculator.
The buyer does. You are not obliged to use the developer's recommended solicitor and usually should not. If you are taking a mortgage the solicitor must be on the lender's approved panel; otherwise the lender instructs its own and passes the cost to you.
Services such as legal fees, the mortgage broker fee and the survey carry 20% VAT. Stamp duty, the land registry fee and search fees are outside VAT. The calculator shows the VAT on the legal fees as a separate line.
Yes. The additional property rates apply to stamp duty, the legal fee rises, independent legal advice is required for the director’s guarantee, and there is the cost of setting up the company. Some banks also pass on their own legal costs. A company structure earns its keep on the rental income tax, not on the purchase.
In stages. Usually 10% on exchange, a second 10% after 12 months on some schemes, and the balance on completion. Stamp duty and most of the costs fall at completion. The cash figure in the calculator is the position at completion.
Ask about the exchange rate spread, not the transfer fee: the real cost sits inside the rate. Prepare the documents evidencing the source of your funds in advance, because the solicitor must carry out a source-of-funds review. Send the money to the solicitor's client account; transfers to a third account are not accepted.
No. Stamp duty and the land registry fee are calculated exactly, from the official scales. The other items are market averages and will move with the written quote you get from your solicitor. You can enter your own quotes in the legal fee field to update the result.
Let us build your purchase budget together
For the scheme you choose we collect real quotes from solicitors, mortgage brokers and currency providers and prepare a written cost table. That way there are no surprises on completion day.
Last updated 31 August 2026. The fees and duties have been verified against official sources.
capital.works® is a registered trade mark of YATIRIM UK LIMITED. The information on this page is general in nature and is not tax or legal advice. Fees and duties can change; obtain a written quote before you decide.