Most property buyers rely on their solicitor or conveyancer to calculate and submit their Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) to HMRC - and rightly so. But SDLT is a complex area of tax law, and not all reliefs are automatically applied using HMRC’s standard calculator. If a Stamp Duty relief was missed during your transaction, you could be eligible for a Stamp Duty refund, and it’s worth looking into.
At SCA Tax, we specialise in identifying and recovering overpaid SDLT through reliefs that are often overlooked in routine transactions.
Solicitors and conveyancers are experts in property law and play a vital role in handling the legal side of your transaction. However, they are not tax advisers, and many use HMRC’s standard SDLT calculator, which doesn’t account for more nuanced reliefs such as:
These reliefs often require a detailed analysis of the property’s use, layout, or legal classification - something outside the standard scope of conveyancing.
Stamp Duty relief refers to a legitimate reduction or exemption in the amount of SDLT owed, based on specific qualifying criteria. Some of the most common reliefs include:
Missing these reliefs can result in significant overpayments, sometimes by tens of thousands of pounds.
You may wish to have your SDLT reviewed if:
In many cases, these situations qualify for relief, but unless specifically identified and calculated, HMRC’s generic tool will apply the standard rates.
Your first step should be to speak with a specialist in Stamp Duty relief - like our team at SCA Tax.
We’ll:
Our assessments are free and can uncover thousands in potential savings.
If a relief was indeed missed, you can submit a refund request to HMRC. Depending on the circumstances, claims can be made:
You’ll need supporting documentation, a revised calculation, and a clear explanation - all of which we can manage for you.
At SCA Tax, we work alongside solicitors, accountants, and property professionals to provide specialist SDLT insight to help ensure the correct amount of Stamp Duty is paid.
If you suspect that a Stamp Duty relief may have been missed, it’s worth checking. A quick review could lead to a Stamp Duty refund and peace of mind.
Have questions or need more information? Our team is here to help. Feel free to reach out to us!