Btakes home $3,459 more per year
$288 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 | $250,000 | $250,000 | ±0 |
| Taxable incomeafter the CPP enhanced deduction | $248,873 | $248,873 | ±0 |
| Payroll programs | |||
| CPP + CPP2 | $4,646 | $4,646 | ±0 |
| EI premium | $1,123 | $1,123 | ±0 |
| Income tax | |||
| Federal taxafter credits | $53,524 | $53,524 | ±0 |
| Provincial taxafter credits | $27,480 | $24,021 | −$3,459 |
| Bottom line | |||
| Total deductions | $86,773 | $83,314 | −$3,459 |
| Take-home | $163,227 | $166,686 | +$3,459 |
| Effective deduction rateshare of gross lost to tax, CPP and EI | 34.7% | 33.3% | −1.4 pts |
| True marginal rateon the next $100 | 46.1% | 43.3% | −2.8 pts |
Download comparison (PDF)This ledger, then a full statement for A and for B.
A — $250,000 in British Columbia
Keeps $539 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 — $250,000 in Alberta
Keeps $567 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 $3,459 comes from at $250,000
Federal tax ($53,524), CPP and EI ($5,770) are identical in both provinces — they depend only on your income.
So the whole difference is provincial tax: $27,480 in British Columbia against $24,021 in Alberta.
The lines that differ most: B.C.'s brackets charge $2,266 more on the same $248,873 of taxable income (5.6% up to 16.8%, against 8% up to 14% in Alberta); and Alberta's credits are worth $1,193 more — mostly the basic personal amount, $22,769 at 8% against $13,216 at 5.6%.
| Provincial tax | B.C. | Alberta | Pays more |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tax on the brackets | $28,480 | $26,214 | B.C. +$2,266 |
| Less credits: basic personal amount, CPP, EI | − $1,000 | − $2,193 | B.C. +$1,193 |
| Provincial income tax | $27,480 | $24,021 | Alberta +$3,459 |
Your next dollar in each province
On a $1,000 raise from $250,000 you would keep $539 in British Columbia and $567 in Alberta.
British Columbia
46.1%
true marginal · bracket rate 45.8% (29% federal + 16.8% provincial)
Also acting on it: the enhanced federal basic personal amount is being clawed back across this income band.
Alberta
43.3%
true marginal · bracket rate 43.0% (29% federal + 14% provincial)
Also acting on it: the enhanced federal basic personal amount is being clawed back across this income band.
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.
| Salary | B.C. | Alberta | Keeps more |
|---|---|---|---|
| $180,000 | $125,167 | $126,166 | Alberta +$999 |
| $190,000 | $130,852 | $132,083 | Alberta +$1,232 |
| $200,000 | $136,274 | $137,854 | Alberta +$1,579 |
| $250,000 | $163,227 | $166,686 | Alberta +$3,459 |
| $300,000 | $187,450 | $193,542 | Alberta +$6,092 |
| $400,000 | $233,950 | $246,255 | Alberta +$12,305 |
| $500,000 | $280,450 | $298,255 | Alberta +$17,805 |
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.