Editor's note: This brief was summarised by The Property AI Newsroom from a report by Mortgage Solutions. Read the original article for full details.

Stamp Duty and Inheritance Tax Receipts Rise in 2026

Stamp duty receipts rose to £6.9bn between April and July 2026, an increase of £0.5bn compared to the same period in the previous year. Inheritance tax (IHT) receipts also increased, reaching £3.2bn in the first four months of the 2026-27 tax year, which is £0.1bn higher than the corresponding period in 2025-26.

June 2026 recorded the highest monthly IHT receipts on record. The government stated that IHT receipts are expected to remain elevated in the coming years, citing higher levels of wealth transfers following recent liable deaths, rising asset values, and the continued freeze on tax-free thresholds. These thresholds will remain at their 2020-21 levels until at least 2030-31, a policy expected to bring more estates into the scope of the tax.

The government also noted that the increase in stamp duty receipts in May 2026 partly reflected weaker transaction levels a year earlier. Property transactions fell in 2025 after buyers brought forward purchases ahead of stamp duty land tax (SDLT) changes introduced in April 2025, creating a lower comparison base for this year’s receipts.

Attention has turned to Chancellor Healey’s first Autumn Budget, with calls being made for stamp duty to be scrapped to stimulate transactions amid a subdued housing market in 2026 so far.