Tax Stone

Resources · Calculators

UK stamp duty on shares calculator

Stamp duty or SDRT on a share purchase, with the AIM, ETF and new listing exemptions.

How you are buying
What you are buying
Paper transfers only: certified as £1,000 or less and not part of a larger deal?

Excludes broker fees, the PTM levy and depositary receipt charges. For US citizens, stamp duty paid is added to cost basis. Estimates only.

About this calculator

What it estimates

Buying shares in UK companies usually costs 0.5% in stamp taxes on top of the price. This calculator shows the charge for electronic and paper purchases and flags the common exemptions.

How it works

Electronic purchases through CREST pay Stamp Duty Reserve Tax at 0.5%. Paper transfers pay stamp duty at 0.5%, rounded up to the next £5, with nothing to pay on certified transfers of £1,000 or less.

AIM shares, ETFs and shares in non-UK companies without a UK register are not charged. Companies newly listed on a UK regulated market from 27 November 2025 are exempt from SDRT for three years.

Assumptions (UK 2026/27 tax year rates)

  • •Purchases for money
  • •No depositary receipt or clearance service charges
  • •No PTM levy and no broker fees

Estimates only, for orientation. Rates and thresholds change each tax year and your actual liability depends on facts this tool does not ask for. This is not tax advice.

For US–UK filers

Why your real number differs

UK stamp duty paid on a purchase is added to the share's cost basis on your US return. It is not a creditable foreign income tax. Many UK-listed funds and investment trusts are PFICs for US citizens, which matters far more than the stamp duty.

Related

Sources

  • Finance Act 1986, Part IV
  • HMRC Stamp Taxes on Shares Manual
  • GOV.UK policy paper: Stamp Duty Reserve Tax, UK listing relief (Budget 2025)

Numbers raising questions? Ask a specialist.

Get Started