Atakes home $685 more per year
$57 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 | $90,000 | $90,000 | ±0 |
| Taxable incomeafter the CPP enhanced deduction | $88,873 | $88,873 | ±0 |
| Payroll programs | |||
| CPP + CPP2 | $4,646 | $4,646 | ±0 |
| EI premium | $1,123 | $1,123 | ±0 |
| Income tax | |||
| Federal taxafter credits | $11,252 | $11,252 | ±0 |
| Provincial taxafter credits | $4,786 | $5,470 | +$685 |
| Bottom line | |||
| Total deductions | $21,807 | $22,492 | +$685 |
| Take-home | $68,193 | $67,509 | −$685 |
| Effective deduction rateshare of gross lost to tax, CPP and EI | 24.2% | 25.0% | +0.8 pts |
| True marginal rateon the next $100 | 28.2% | 30.5% | +2.3 pts |
Download comparison (PDF)This ledger, then a full statement for A and for B.
A — $90,000 in British Columbia
Keeps $718 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 — $90,000 in Alberta
Keeps $695 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 $685 comes from at $90,000
Federal tax ($11,252), CPP and EI ($5,770) are identical in both provinces — they depend only on your income.
So the whole difference is provincial tax: $4,786 in British Columbia against $5,470 in Alberta.
The lines that differ most: Alberta's brackets charge $1,878 more on the same $88,873 of taxable income (8% up to 10%, against 5.6% up to 7.7% in B.C.); 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 | $5,786 | $7,663 | Alberta +$1,878 |
| Less credits: basic personal amount, CPP, EI | − $1,000 | − $2,193 | B.C. +$1,193 |
| Provincial income tax | $4,786 | $5,470 | B.C. +$685 |
Your next dollar in each province
On a $1,000 raise from $90,000 you would keep $718 in British Columbia and $695 in Alberta.
British Columbia
28.2%
true marginal · bracket rate 28.2% (20.5% federal + 7.7% provincial)
Nothing beyond the two bracket rates acts on the next dollar here.
Alberta
30.5%
true marginal · bracket rate 30.5% (20.5% federal + 10% 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.