Taxe sur les transactions foncières et immobilières

Who pays the tax?

LBTT is payable by the purchaser in a land transaction occurring in Scotland. Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) applies to land transactions in England and Northern Ireland and Land Transaction Tax (LTT) applies in Wales.

Qu'est-ce qu'une transaction foncière ?

A transaction will trigger liability if it involves the acquisition of an interest in land. This includes a simple conveyance of land such as buying a house, creating a lease or assigning a lease.

Quand l'impôt est-il payable ?

La taxe est due lorsque le contrat a été substantiellement exécuté. Si l'acquéreur prend possession du bien à la date de la signature de l'acte authentique, cette date sera celle de l'exécution. En revanche, si l'acquéreur prend effectivement possession du bien avant la signature de l'acte authentique (on parle alors de « prise de possession en vertu du contrat »), la taxe sera exigible.

Residential rates of LBTT

The rates of LBTT which apply from 1 April 2021 are set out in the following table:

The rates apply to the portion of the total value which falls within each band.

First-time buyer relief

A LBTT relief applies for first-time buyers of properties up to £175,000. The relief raises the zero tax threshold for first-time buyers from £145,000 to £175,000. First-time buyers purchasing a property above £175,000 also benefit from the relief on the portion of the price below the threshold. All first-time buyers will benefit from a relief of up to £600.

Higher rates for additional residential properties

Higher rates of LBTT are charged on purchases of additional residential properties (above £40,000), such as buy to let properties and second homes.

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 36 month rules set out below will help to remove some transactions from the additional rates (or allow a refund). The 36 month timeframe was extended from 18 months with effect from 1 April 2024. 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 8% above those shown in the table above, having increased from 6% from 5 December 2024. 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:

• Les acheteurs auront 36 mois pour demander le remboursement des taux plus élevés s'ils achètent une nouvelle résidence principale avant de se séparer de leur précédente résidence principale.
• Purchasers will also have 36 months between selling a main residence and replacing it with another main residence without having to pay the higher rates, if they also own another property which is not their main residence.
• Une petite part d'un bien immobilier héritée dans les 36 mois précédant une transaction ne sera pas considérée comme un bien supplémentaire lors de l'application des taux plus élevés.
• Les investisseurs importants ne bénéficieront d'aucune exemption des taux plus élevés.

Non-residential rates of LBTT

The Scottish government has LBTT calculators which work out the amount of LBTT payable. The calculators can be found at www.revenue.scot/land-buildings-transaction-tax/tax-calculators.