Challenge 
What will the mansion tax cost, and can you challenge it?
From April 2028, homes in England worth £2m or more pay a new yearly charge of £2,500 to £7,500 on top of council tax. Estimate your home's 2026 value from local sales in under a minute, see which band it falls in, then get your free personal report and guide.
Mansion Tax Checker
Free, no account needed. Works for any postcode in England.
- We find recent sales of the same type of home near you, from HM Land Registry.
- We adjust each sale to April 2026 prices, the date the mansion tax uses. In London we use our own proprietary house price index. Elsewhere we use the UK House Price Index for the local council.
- We apply the local price per square foot to your floor area and show a range.
An estimate from public sales data, not a valuation. Formal valuations come from a RICS-registered valuer.
Know your value? Enter it here
Type a figure to see the band and charge.
a year from 2028/29, rising with CPI from 2029/30
Illustrative bills from 2028/29, rising with the inflation rate chosen below:
Where you sit on the band ladder
Projected bills to 2033
Charges start at these 2028/29 rates and rise with CPI each year from 2029/30. Bands stay fixed until the next revaluation, planned for 2033.
| Year | Yearly | Monthly | Running total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total | – | ||
Get your free personal report, plus our free guide
- Your personal report: your home's estimated 2026 value, likely band and yearly charge, and how close it is to a band threshold
- What the Valuation Office's computer model might miss about your home
- Our free guide How to Prepare to Challenge the Mansion Tax, with the 2026 evidence checklist
For your personal report, use the checker above first. It takes about a minute, and your report then shows your home's estimated value, likely band and yearly charge.
We found limited sales near you. Leave your email and we'll send a more detailed check.
The government's response of 28 October 2026 confirmed the appeals route (the Valuation Office, then the Valuation Tribunal); the detailed timings are still proposals and may change. Charges are the proposed 2028/29 amounts.
Prepare now, challenge when the valuations land
Check your home's value
Free, in under a minute. Enter your postcode to see your home's estimated 2026 value, its likely band and yearly charge, and how close it is to a threshold.
Collect and prepare your evidence
You'll need to review all the data sources: completed sales of similar homes, their floor areas and floor levels, and price changes since each sale, then adjust every sale for its differences from your home and record your home's condition in 2026. Estate agent estimates and website valuations aren't expected to count. Alternatively, let us give you a professional and personal review: order a Property Value Evidence Pack and we'll prepare and check your evidence for you.
Order nowGet your free personalised previewBook a free consultation
Services and fees Mansion tax appeals: Property Value Evidence Pack £299, £199 if ordered by 30 November.
Challenge on time
When the Valuation Office publishes its valuations, check yours and challenge within the deadline if the evidence supports a lower band.
£1 more in value can cost £2,500 a year
There's no sliding scale. A home valued just over a threshold pays the whole higher charge, every year until the next revaluation.
The same cliff edge sits at every line:
If your home is within about 10% of a line, the evidence could decide which charge you pay.
What homes sold for, and how prices moved
The mansion tax uses values at April 2026. Our property prices pages show what homes in prime London actually sold for per square foot, and how London prices moved between January 2024 and then. Where prices fell, a value based on older sales could be too high.
What happens when
- April 2026Proposed valuation dateThe first mansion tax bands are based on April 2026 property values. The Valuation Office uses comparable sales and property data to produce an initial estimate, then applies professional valuer judgement to assign a band.
- By 1 November 2027Draft bands expectedThe Valuation Office must send councils the draft list, and councils then publish it. Check your draft band and property details. If information such as the floor area or property type is wrong, the government's proposed process lets you ask the Valuation Office to correct it at this stage.
- March 2028First bills expectedLocal councils are expected to issue the first mansion tax bills.
- 1 April 2028Surcharge startsThe first valuation list takes effect under the Finance Bill. If you think your band is wrong, the government proposes giving owners an initial eight months from launch to challenge it with the Valuation Office.
- Around the end of November 2028Initial challenge window expected to closeThe proposed eight-month window for lodging an initial band challenge is expected to end around this time. The exact closing date is still to be confirmed.
- After your challenge decisionTribunal appeal opensThe Valuation Office is proposed to decide a band challenge within four months. If you disagree with its decision, you can appeal to the Valuation Tribunal for England under the government's planned process.
- Three months from your challenge decisionProposed appeal deadlineUnder the proposed timetable, your time to lodge a tribunal appeal expires three months from the date of the Valuation Office's decision on your band challenge.
- 1 April 2033First scheduled revaluationThe Finance Bill schedules the next valuation list for this date, and then every five years.
The challenge and appeal deadlines are proposed. Check official guidance for the final deadlines and filing instructions. If you become liable later, for example after buying a home, the proposal is 6 months from receiving your band to challenge it. Under the proposed process, you keep paying while a challenge or appeal is under way; if your bill is reduced, any overpayment is refunded or your liability is adjusted.
Frequently asked questions
Who pays the mansion tax?
The owner, not the tenant. Leaseholders pay if their lease was originally granted for more than 21 years. Companies and trustees pay for homes they hold.
How much is it?
£2,500 a year for homes valued at £2m to under £2.5m, £3,500 from £2.5m to under £3.5m, £5,000 from £3.5m to under £5m, and £7,500 at £5m or more. These are the 2028/29 rates, which rise with inflation (CPI) each year from 2029/30.
How will my home be valued?
Under the proposals, the Valuation Office will value homes as at April 2026, starting from a model-based estimate built from sales and property data, checked by professional valuers, with visits only in limited cases. If its data about your home is wrong, or it uses unsuitable comparisons, the valuation can be wrong too.
What evidence counts in a challenge?
Under the proposals, completed sales of similar homes and examples of similar homes valued differently. The consultation proposed excluding estate agent estimates and property website valuations; the Valuation Office will publish guidance on what it accepts.
Can I defer payment?
Yes, for some owners. The government has confirmed deferral for households with income of £35,000 or less or savings of £16,000 or less, or where someone meets disability criteria. Payment waits until the home changes hands, with interest at a rate to be set in regulations.
Is the mansion tax band the same as my council tax band?
No. Your council tax band (A to H) is based on 1991 values and stays as it is. The mansion tax uses four separate bands, based on your home's value in April 2026: £2m to under £2.5m, £2.5m to under £3.5m, £3.5m to under £5m, and £5m or more. Challenging one doesn't change the other.
Is the checker result a valuation?
No. It is an estimate from public sales data, shown as a range, with the band and charge for that range. Only the Valuation Office sets the value used for the charge, and only a RICS registered valuer can give a formal valuation. It is based on the typical price per sq ft of similar homes sold nearby, so a home in a particularly sought-after street or position, or with features buyers pay more for, may be worth more, and the Valuation Office may value it higher. For flats, it assumes a long lease (roughly 90 years or more); a shorter lease, especially under 80 years, usually means a lower value. Floor level and access matter too: basement and lower-ground flats usually sell for less, and upper-floor flats without a lift are often worth less than similar flats with one. We leave basement sales out of the comparison unless your flat is one.
What is the Property Value Evidence Pack?
A paid evidence file, personally reviewed by our property expert, for your home. Before draft valuations are published, it records the comparable sales and your home's 2026 condition against the thresholds. When draft valuations are published, we compare yours with the evidence and tell you whether a challenge merits consideration. It is not a formal RICS valuation, and if a challenge isn't worth it we'll say so. Email info@challengemansiontax.co.uk to ask about one.
Who runs this site?
Challenge Mansion Tax is an independent service. We are not part of HMRC, the Valuation Office or any council. Email info@challengemansiontax.co.uk.
More questions answered in our mansion tax guides: how much it is, who pays, leasehold flats and how to appeal your band.