Btakes home $1,724 more per year
$144 per month · same gross — the difference is all deductions
Line by line
Amounts per year. Green deltas favour B, red favour A.
| Line item | A · Ontario | B · B.C. | B − A |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income | |||
| Gross income | $120,000 | $120,000 | ±0 |
| Taxable incomeafter the CPP enhanced deduction | $118,873 | $118,873 | ±0 |
| Payroll programs | |||
| CPP + CPP2 | $4,646 | $4,646 | ±0 |
| EI premium | $1,123 | $1,123 | ±0 |
| Income tax | |||
| Federal taxafter credits | $17,502 | $17,502 | ±0 |
| Provincial taxafter credits | $8,000 | $7,661 | −$339 |
| Ontario surtaxa tax on Ontario tax | $636 | — | −$636 |
| Ontario health premium | $750 | — | −$750 |
| Bottom line | |||
| Total deductions | $32,657 | $30,933 | −$1,724 |
| Take-home | $87,343 | $89,067 | +$1,724 |
| Effective deduction rateshare of gross lost to tax, CPP and EI | 27.2% | 25.8% | −1.4 pts |
| True marginal rateon the next $100 | 43.4% | 38.3% | −5.1 pts |
Download comparison (PDF)This ledger, then a full statement for A and for B.
A — $120,000 in Ontario
Keeps $566 of the next $1,000. Both maps share one axis.
Hover or tap a segment to inspect it.
Hover or tap a segment to inspect it.
B — $120,000 in British Columbia
Keeps $617 of the next $1,000. Both maps share one axis.
Hover or tap a segment to inspect it.
Hover or tap a segment to inspect it.
Where the $1,724 comes from at $120,000
Federal tax ($17,502), CPP and EI ($5,770) are identical in both provinces — they depend only on your income.
So the whole difference is provincial tax: $9,386 in Ontario against $7,661 in British Columbia.
The lines that differ most: the Ontario Health Premium adds $750; Ontario's surtax adds $636; and Ontario's brackets charge $229 more on the same $118,873 of taxable income (5.05% up to 11.16%, against 5.6% up to 12.29% in B.C.).
| Provincial tax | Ontario | B.C. | Pays more |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tax on the brackets | $8,890 | $8,661 | Ontario +$229 |
| Less credits: basic personal amount, CPP, EI | − $890 | − $1,000 | Ontario +$110 |
| Ontario surtax | $636 | $0 | Ontario +$636 |
| Ontario Health Premium | $750 | $0 | Ontario +$750 |
| Provincial income tax | $9,386 | $7,661 | B.C. +$1,724 |
Your next dollar in each province
On a $1,000 raise from $120,000 you would keep $566 in Ontario and $617 in British Columbia.
Ontario
43.4%
true marginal · bracket rate 37.2% (26% federal + 11.16% provincial)
Higher than the bracket rate because Ontario's surtax adds 56% on top of the Ontario tax on each new dollar.
British Columbia
38.3%
true marginal · bracket rate 38.3% (26% federal + 12.29% provincial)
Nothing beyond the two bracket rates acts on the next dollar here.
Who keeps more at every salary
Take-home in Ontario and British Columbia on the same salary, checked every $100 from $0 to $500,000.
- Up to $20,200, take-home is identical: credits cancel all provincial tax in both.
- From $20,200 to $30,300, British Columbia keeps more — up to $300 a year (at $25,300).
- From $30,300 to $40,100, Ontario keeps more — up to $215 a year (at $32,800).
- From $40,100 up, British Columbia keeps more — $7,372 a year by $500,000, and still growing.
What sets each province apart
The 2026 rules behind the numbers above.
Ontario
- 5 brackets, from 5.05% up to 13.16% above $220,000. The $150,000 and $220,000 thresholds are never indexed, so more earners reach them each year.
- A surtax on top: 20% of Ontario tax above $5,818, plus another 36% above $7,446 — it starts at about $98,600 of income and steps up at about $115,100.
- The Ontario Health Premium: up to $900 a year, in steps from $20,000 of taxable income; the schedule is not indexed.
- A basic personal amount of $12,989, credited at 5.05% — worth $656. On low incomes the Ontario tax reduction and the LIFT credit (up to $875) cancel Ontario tax; LIFT shrinks by 5% of income above $32,500.
British Columbia
- 7 brackets, from 5.6% up to 20.5% above $265,545 — the most steps of the three provinces.
- Budget 2026 raised the lowest rate from 5.06% to 5.6%, and with it the rate every B.C. credit is worth. Bracket indexation is paused for 2027–2030.
- A basic personal amount of $13,216, credited at 5.6% — worth $740. The B.C. tax reduction credit (up to $690) cancels B.C. tax on low incomes, shrinking by 3.56% of income above $25,570.
This compares income tax, CPP and EI only. Sales tax differs too — Alberta has no provincial sales tax, B.C. charges 7% PST and Ontario's HST is 13% — and so do housing, car insurance and everything else a move changes.