Salary and Tax

2026 tax year · Ontario vs British Columbia

$70,000 after tax: Ontario vs British Columbia

British Columbia takes home $562 more than Ontario on a $70,000 salary: $53,786 against $54,348 a year. Federal tax, CPP and EI are the same in both — the whole gap is provincial tax.

A — current
$
Province
quick set B
B — what if
$
Province

Btakes home $562 more per year

$47 per month · same gross — the difference is all deductions

Line by line

Amounts per year. Green deltas favour B, red favour A.

Show amounts
Tax year
Line itemA · OntarioB · B.C.B − A
Income
Gross income$70,000$70,000±0
Taxable income$69,335$69,335±0
Payroll programs
CPP + CPP2$3,957$3,957±0
EI premium$1,123$1,123±0
Income tax
Federal tax$7,278$7,278±0
Provincial tax$3,256$3,294+$38
Ontario surtax$0—±0
Ontario health premium$600—−$600
Bottom line
Total deductions$16,214$15,652−$562
Take-home$53,786$54,348+$562
Effective deduction rate23.2%22.4%−0.8 pts
True marginal rate34.4%32.9%−1.5 pts

Download comparison (PDF)This ledger, then a full statement for A and for B.

A — $70,000 in Ontario

Keeps $656 of the next $1,000. Both maps share one axis.

Federal$7,278 per year
$0$125,000

Hover or tap a segment to inspect it.

Ontario$3,856 per year
$0$125,000

Hover or tap a segment to inspect it.

B — $70,000 in British Columbia

Keeps $671 of the next $1,000. Both maps share one axis.

Federal$7,278 per year
$0$125,000

Hover or tap a segment to inspect it.

British Columbia$3,294 per year
$0$125,000

Hover or tap a segment to inspect it.

Link to this comparison →

Where the $562 comes from at $70,000

Federal tax ($7,278), CPP and EI ($5,080) are identical in both provinces — they depend only on your income.

So the whole difference is provincial tax: $3,856 in Ontario against $3,294 in British Columbia.

The lines that differ most: the Ontario Health Premium adds $600; B.C.'s brackets charge $147 more on the same $69,335 of taxable income (5.6% up to 7.7%, against 5.05% up to 9.15% in Ontario); and B.C.'s credits are worth $108 more — mostly the basic personal amount, $13,216 at 5.6% against $12,989 at 5.05%.

Provincial taxOntarioB.C.Pays more
Tax on the brackets$4,135$4,281B.C. +$147
Less credits: basic personal amount, CPP, EI− $879− $987Ontario +$108
Ontario surtax$0$0±0
Ontario Health Premium$600$0Ontario +$600
Provincial income tax$3,856$3,294B.C. +$562

Your next dollar in each province

On a $1,000 raise from $70,000 you would keep $656 in Ontario and $671 in British Columbia.

Ontario

34.4%

true marginal · bracket rate 29.6% (20.5% federal + 9.15% provincial)

Higher than the bracket rate because payroll contributions still come off each new dollar (CPP at 5.95%) until you pass their yearly maximums.

British Columbia

32.9%

true marginal · bracket rate 28.2% (20.5% federal + 7.7% provincial)

Higher than the bracket rate because payroll contributions still come off each new dollar (CPP at 5.95%) until you pass their yearly maximums.

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.

SalaryOntarioB.C.Keeps more
$40,000$33,332$33,333same
$50,000$40,168$40,574B.C. +$406
$60,000$47,340$47,755B.C. +$415
$70,000$53,786$54,348B.C. +$562
$80,000$60,303$61,157B.C. +$854
$90,000$67,197$68,193B.C. +$996
$100,000$74,206$75,373B.C. +$1,167

Every salary from $30,000 to $500,000 →

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.

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