Btakes home $459 more per year
$38 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 · B.C. | B · Alberta | B − A |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income | |||
| Gross income | $160,000 | $160,000 | ±0 |
| Taxable incomeafter the CPP enhanced deduction | $158,873 | $158,873 | ±0 |
| Payroll programs | |||
| CPP + CPP2 | $4,646 | $4,646 | ±0 |
| EI premium | $1,123 | $1,123 | ±0 |
| Income tax | |||
| Federal taxafter credits | $27,902 | $27,902 | ±0 |
| Provincial taxafter credits | $13,022 | $12,563 | −$459 |
| Bottom line | |||
| Total deductions | $46,693 | $46,234 | −$459 |
| Take-home | $113,307 | $113,766 | +$459 |
| Effective deduction rateshare of gross lost to tax, CPP and EI | 29.2% | 28.9% | −0.3 pts |
| True marginal rateon the next $100 | 40.7% | 38.0% | −2.7 pts |
Download comparison (PDF)This ledger, then a full statement for A and for B.
A — $160,000 in British Columbia
Keeps $593 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 — $160,000 in Alberta
Keeps $620 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 $459 comes from at $160,000
Federal tax ($27,902), CPP and EI ($5,770) are identical in both provinces — they depend only on your income.
So the whole difference is provincial tax: $13,022 in British Columbia against $12,563 in Alberta.
The lines that differ most: Alberta's credits are worth $1,193 more — mostly the basic personal amount, $22,769 at 8% against $13,216 at 5.6%; and Alberta's brackets charge $734 more on the same $158,873 of taxable income (8% up to 12%, against 5.6% up to 14.7% in B.C.).
| Provincial tax | B.C. | Alberta | Pays more |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tax on the brackets | $14,022 | $14,756 | Alberta +$734 |
| Less credits: basic personal amount, CPP, EI | − $1,000 | − $2,193 | B.C. +$1,193 |
| Provincial income tax | $13,022 | $12,563 | Alberta +$459 |
Your next dollar in each province
On a $1,000 raise from $160,000 you would keep $593 in British Columbia and $620 in Alberta.
British Columbia
40.7%
true marginal · bracket rate 40.7% (26% federal + 14.7% provincial)
Nothing beyond the two bracket rates acts on the next dollar here.
Alberta
38.0%
true marginal · bracket rate 38.0% (26% federal + 12% provincial)
Nothing beyond the two bracket rates acts on the next dollar here.
Who keeps more at every salary
Take-home in British Columbia and Alberta on the same salary, checked every $100 from $0 to $500,000.
- Up to $24,500, take-home is identical: credits cancel all provincial tax in both.
- From $24,500 to $40,100, British Columbia keeps more — up to $173 a year (at $26,800).
- From $40,100 to $48,600, the two stay within $69 a year of each other.
- From $48,600 to $148,300, British Columbia keeps more — up to $957 a year (at $101,900).
- From $148,300 up, Alberta keeps more — $17,805 a year by $500,000, and still growing.
What sets each province apart
The 2026 rules behind the numbers above.
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.
Alberta
- 6 brackets, from 8% up to 15% above $370,220. Budget 2025 added the 8% bracket on the first $61,200; credits are now valued at 8% too.
- A basic personal amount of $22,769, credited at 8% — worth $1,822 — the largest of the three provinces.
- No surtax, no health premium and no low-income tax reduction: what the brackets and credits say is what you pay.
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.