What does the planner do that the free calculators do not?

It puts the whole purchase in one file you keep and change: the cash you need on the day with every cost and any government help, a month-by-month savings plan to that figure, the test your lenders will use, the running costs, and owning against renting for 30 years, year by year. Every rate it uses is on a Rules tab you can update. Your figures stay on your computer.

Does it use the same rules as the calculators?

Yes. The purchase taxes come from the same schedules as our stamp duty, LBTT, LTT, land transfer tax and transfer duty calculators, and owning vs renting is the same model as our rent vs buy calculator. Our tests recalculate the spreadsheet in a spreadsheet engine and check it gives the same figures as the website, for every state, province and nation in the dropdowns.

Which countries and rules are included?

US (property tax by state, PMI until the balance reaches 78% of the price, the 28/36 rule of thumb and Fannie Mae limits; there is no national first-time buyer grant), UK (SDLT, LBTT and LTT with first-time buyer relief, the Land Registry fee, the Lifetime ISA bonus, the 4.5x income guide), Canada (land transfer tax or registration fee in twelve provinces and cities, first-time buyer refunds, CMHC premiums and the sales tax on them, the stress test with GDS and TDS, FHSA, Home Buyers’ Plan, the GST rebate on new homes), Australia (duty and first home buyer concessions in every state and territory, First Home Owner Grants, the 5% Deposit Scheme caps, the APRA buffer) and Ireland (stamp duty, Help to Buy, the Central Bank limits, Local Property Tax, the Land Registry fee).

Which figures are estimates?

Legal fees, surveys, lender fees, moving, insurance, maintenance, council rates in Australia, US PMI and Australian lenders mortgage insurance are estimates in blue cells for you to replace with your quotes. Where a state publishes a concession only as a calculator (NSW above $800,000, Victoria above $600,000), the planner uses the general rate and says so.

Does it work in Google Sheets?

Yes. Upload the file to Google Drive and open it with Google Sheets. It also works in Excel (Windows and Mac) and LibreOffice. Standard formulas only, no macros.

Is this financial advice?

No. It is a planning tool built on the published rules. Prices, rates and growth are your assumptions, and lenders make their own decisions. For a decision about a mortgage, talk to a qualified adviser or broker.

Home Buying Planner

How much cash do you need on the day, when will you have it, what will lenders allow, and does buying beat renting? A spreadsheet that works it out with your country’s own rules: stamp duty or transfer tax with first-time buyer relief, fees, mortgage insurance and the government help you can get.

Free first: the calculators

Our free home buying cost calculator and rent vs buy calculator use the same tax schedules and the same owning-vs-renting model. The planner puts it all in one file, with a savings plan and the lender tests. For the costs buyers most often forget, read closing costs and the hidden costs of buying a home.

Open the free calculator

What is in the planner

Start here. The home, your incomes, savings, mortgage and rent, and the answers: cash needed on the day, your monthly payment, the cost of owning against your rent, how many months until you can buy, and the year buying starts to beat renting.
Upfront costs. Deposit, purchase tax worked out from the official schedules with first-time buyer relief, legal and survey fees, lender fees, mortgage insurance (Canada’s CMHC premium exactly; Australian LMI as an estimate), moving, furniture, and help paid at purchase (Help to Buy, First Home Owner Grant, the GST rebate on a new home in Canada).
Deposit plan. Month by month for up to 20 years until your savings reach the cash needed, with the Lifetime ISA bonus (UK) or the FHSA tax saving and Home Buyers’ Plan (Canada).
Affordability. What lenders test: the US 28/36 rule of thumb and Fannie Mae limits, Canada’s stress test with GDS and TDS, Australia’s 3-point buffer, Ireland’s Central Bank income limit, the UK’s 4.5x guide.
Owning vs renting. 30 years, year by year: mortgage left, home value, the net cost of each and the year buying wins.
Running costs. Property tax (by US state, Local Property Tax bands in Ireland, council tax in the UK), insurance, maintenance, HOA or strata fees, and PMI in the US.
Rules. Every rate and limit with its official source and the date we read it (9 November 2026).

The worked examples

Each edition comes with a filled-in example: a fictional household with real rules.

Example	Price	Cash needed	Can buy in	Buying wins from
US (Texas): two incomes, 10% down, PMI until the loan reaches 78%	$320,000	$44,900	16 months	year 14
UK (Scotland): first-time buyers, LBTT relief, Lifetime ISA bonus	£235,000	£30,899	20 months	year 3
Canada (British Columbia): first-time buyers, BC exemption, CMHC insured over 30 years, Home Buyers’ Plan	$720,000	$84,500	8 months	year 10
Australia (New South Wales): first home buyers of an established home: no duty to $800,000, the 5% Deposit Scheme	$780,000	$87,000	19 months	year 20
Ireland: first-time buyers of a second-hand home (Help to Buy is for new homes only)	€350,000	€46,300	19 months	year 2

See inside

Real pages from the UK worked example that comes with your purchase. Tap any page to see it full size.

Start here tab: Your answers: cash needed on the day, months until you can buy, the cost of owning a month, and net cost of buying vs renting — **Start here.** Your answers: cash needed on the day, months until you can buy, the cost of owning a month, and net cost of buying vs renting.

Upfront costs tab: Every cost on the day: deposit, stamp duty with first-time buyer relief, fees, and help paid at purchase — **Upfront costs.** Every cost on the day: deposit, stamp duty with first-time buyer relief, fees, and help paid at purchase.

Owning vs renting tab: Thirty years side by side: mortgage left, home value, the net cost of each and the year buying wins — **Owning vs renting.** Thirty years side by side: mortgage left, home value, the net cost of each and the year buying wins.

Deposit plan tab: Month by month until your savings reach the cash you need, with the Lifetime ISA bonus — **Deposit plan.** Month by month until your savings reach the cash you need, with the Lifetime ISA bonus.

Rules tab: Every rate and limit with its official source and the date it was read — **Rules.** Every rate and limit with its official source and the date it was read.

Questions

What does the planner do that the free calculators do not?: It puts the whole purchase in one file you keep and change: the cash you need on the day with every cost and any government help, a month-by-month savings plan to that figure, the test your lenders will use, the running costs, and owning against renting for 30 years, year by year. Every rate it uses is on a Rules tab you can update. Your figures stay on your computer.
Does it use the same rules as the calculators?: Yes. The purchase taxes come from the same schedules as our stamp duty, LBTT, LTT, land transfer tax and transfer duty calculators, and owning vs renting is the same model as our rent vs buy calculator. Our tests recalculate the spreadsheet in a spreadsheet engine and check it gives the same figures as the website, for every state, province and nation in the dropdowns.
Which countries and rules are included?: US (property tax by state, PMI until the balance reaches 78% of the price, the 28/36 rule of thumb and Fannie Mae limits; there is no national first-time buyer grant), UK (SDLT, LBTT and LTT with first-time buyer relief, the Land Registry fee, the Lifetime ISA bonus, the 4.5x income guide), Canada (land transfer tax or registration fee in twelve provinces and cities, first-time buyer refunds, CMHC premiums and the sales tax on them, the stress test with GDS and TDS, FHSA, Home Buyers’ Plan, the GST rebate on new homes), Australia (duty and first home buyer concessions in every state and territory, First Home Owner Grants, the 5% Deposit Scheme caps, the APRA buffer) and Ireland (stamp duty, Help to Buy, the Central Bank limits, Local Property Tax, the Land Registry fee).
Which figures are estimates?: Legal fees, surveys, lender fees, moving, insurance, maintenance, council rates in Australia, US PMI and Australian lenders mortgage insurance are estimates in blue cells for you to replace with your quotes. Where a state publishes a concession only as a calculator (NSW above $800,000, Victoria above $600,000), the planner uses the general rate and says so.
Does it work in Google Sheets?: Yes. Upload the file to Google Drive and open it with Google Sheets. It also works in Excel (Windows and Mac) and LibreOffice. Standard formulas only, no macros.
Is this financial advice?: No. It is a planning tool built on the published rules. Prices, rates and growth are your assumptions, and lenders make their own decisions. For a decision about a mortgage, talk to a qualified adviser or broker.
What if it is not right for me?: Ask for a refund within 14 days and you get your money back, even after downloading. See the refund policy.

Rules read on 9 November 2026 on the official pages, among them gov.uk (SDLT), Revenue Scotland, Welsh Government (LTT), CMHC, OSFI, First Home Buyers (5% Deposit Scheme), APRA, Revenue (Help to Buy), Central Bank of Ireland and CFPB; the full list, with each state and province, is on the planner’s Rules tab. General information, not advice.