Btakes home $354 more per year
$30 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 · Alberta | B − A |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income | |||
| Gross income | $85,000 | $85,000 | ±0 |
| Taxable incomeafter the CPP enhanced deduction | $83,873 | $83,873 | ±0 |
| Payroll programs | |||
| CPP + CPP2 | $4,646 | $4,646 | ±0 |
| EI premium | $1,123 | $1,123 | ±0 |
| Income tax | |||
| Federal taxafter credits | $10,227 | $10,227 | ±0 |
| Provincial taxafter credits | $4,574 | $4,970 | +$396 |
| Ontario surtaxa tax on Ontario tax | $0 | — | ±0 |
| Ontario health premium | $750 | — | −$750 |
| Bottom line | |||
| Total deductions | $21,321 | $20,967 | −$354 |
| Take-home | $63,679 | $64,034 | +$354 |
| Effective deduction rateshare of gross lost to tax, CPP and EI | 25.1% | 24.7% | −0.4 pts |
| True marginal rateon the next $100 | 29.6% | 30.5% | +0.9 pts |
Download comparison (PDF)This ledger, then a full statement for A and for B.
A — $85,000 in Ontario
Keeps $704 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 — $85,000 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.
Who keeps more at every salary
Take-home in Ontario and Alberta 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 $28,500, Alberta keeps more — up to $251 a year (at $24,400).
- From $28,500 to $40,100, Ontario keeps more — up to $309 a year (at $32,800).
- From $40,100 up, Alberta keeps more — $25,177 a year by $500,000, and still growing.
| Salary | Ontario | Alberta | Keeps more |
|---|---|---|---|
| $30,000 | $26,237 | $26,124 | Ontario +$113 |
| $40,000 | $33,332 | $33,332 | same |
| $50,000 | $40,168 | $40,541 | Alberta +$373 |
| $60,000 | $47,340 | $47,691 | Alberta +$351 |
| $70,000 | $53,786 | $54,107 | Alberta +$321 |
| $80,000 | $60,303 | $60,698 | Alberta +$395 |
| $90,000 | $67,197 | $67,509 | Alberta +$312 |
| $100,000 | $74,206 | $74,459 | Alberta +$252 |
| $110,000 | $81,032 | $81,409 | Alberta +$377 |
| $120,000 | $87,343 | $88,258 | Alberta +$915 |
| $130,000 | $93,002 | $94,658 | Alberta +$1,656 |
| $140,000 | $98,661 | $101,058 | Alberta +$2,397 |
| $150,000 | $104,320 | $107,458 | Alberta +$3,138 |
| $160,000 | $109,841 | $113,766 | Alberta +$3,925 |
| $170,000 | $115,344 | $119,966 | Alberta +$4,622 |
| $180,000 | $120,847 | $126,166 | Alberta +$5,319 |
| $190,000 | $126,105 | $132,083 | Alberta +$5,978 |
| $200,000 | $131,278 | $137,854 | Alberta +$6,575 |
| $250,000 | $156,546 | $166,686 | Alberta +$10,140 |
| $300,000 | $180,137 | $193,542 | Alberta +$13,405 |
| $400,000 | $226,607 | $246,255 | Alberta +$19,648 |
| $500,000 | $273,078 | $298,255 | Alberta +$25,177 |
Where the $354 comes from at $85,000
Federal tax ($10,227), CPP and EI ($5,770) are identical in both provinces — they depend only on your income.
So the whole difference is provincial tax: $5,324 in Ontario against $4,970 in Alberta.
The lines that differ most: Alberta's brackets charge $1,698 more on the same $83,873 of taxable income (8% up to 10%, against 5.05% up to 9.15% in Ontario); Alberta's credits are worth $1,303 more — mostly the basic personal amount, $22,769 at 8% against $12,989 at 5.05%; and the Ontario Health Premium adds $750.
| Provincial tax | Ontario | Alberta | Pays more |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tax on the brackets | $5,465 | $7,163 | Alberta +$1,698 |
| Less credits: basic personal amount, CPP, EI | − $890 | − $2,193 | Ontario +$1,303 |
| Ontario surtax | $0 | $0 | ±0 |
| Ontario Health Premium | $750 | $0 | Ontario +$750 |
| Provincial income tax | $5,324 | $4,970 | Alberta +$354 |
Your next dollar in each province
On a $1,000 raise from $85,000 you would keep $704 in Ontario and $695 in Alberta.
Ontario
29.6%
true marginal · bracket rate 29.6% (20.5% federal + 9.15% 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.
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.
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.