Income Tax by Province: $8,127 Apart in Take-Home Pay
On a $100,000 salary the province decides $8,127 of your pay. Nunavut leaves $75,298 and Nova Scotia leaves $67,171. The federal portion is the same everywhere outside Quebec, so almost the entire gap is provincial. Figures use 2026 rates.
Every figure below is computed with the same engine behind our calculators, using 2026 federal and provincial brackets, including CPP and EI, and the federal abatement for Quebec residents. Employment income only, and no credits beyond the basic personal amounts.
Take-home pay in every province and territory
Ranked by what you keep on $100,000. The spread from top to bottom is $8,127, or 8.1% of gross pay.
2026 federal and provincial brackets with CPP and EI. Quebec figures use QPP, QPIP and the federal abatement. Brighter keeps more. The full ranking is in the table below.
The map shows a pattern the ranking hides. British Columbia, Alberta, the three territories and Ontario form the top group; Saskatchewan and Manitoba sit in the middle; Quebec and the four Atlantic provinces keep the least. East of Manitoba, Ontario is the only province that keeps pace with the West.
How much tax do you pay on $100,000 in Canada?
Between $24,702 and $32,829, depending on where you live. Here is the whole table, each linking to a calculator for that province.
| # | Province or territory | Provincial tax | You keep |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nunavut | $4,540 | $75,298 |
| 2 | British Columbia | $5,902 | $73,935 |
| 3 | Northwest Territories | $6,095 | $73,743 |
| 4 | Ontario | $6,378 | $73,460 |
| 5 | Yukon | $6,425 | $73,412 |
| 6 | Alberta | $6,954 | $72,883 |
| 7 | Saskatchewan | $9,269 | $70,568 |
| 8 | Manitoba | $10,129 | $69,708 |
| 9 | New Brunswick | $10,308 | $69,529 |
| 10 | Newfoundland and Labrador | $10,908 | $68,930 |
| 11 | Quebec | $13,629 | $68,132 |
| 12 | Prince Edward Island | $11,768 | $68,070 |
| 13 | Nova Scotia | $12,667 | $67,171 |
What your average tax rate actually is
The rate people quote is usually their marginal one, the rate on the last dollar. The average rate, what you actually pay across the whole salary, is far lower.
Total federal tax, provincial tax, CPP and EI as a share of gross pay. In Nova Scotia, the same salary carries an average rate of 32.8%.
The distinction matters when you are deciding whether a raise is worth taking. Moving into a higher bracket only taxes the dollars inside that bracket, so the average rate climbs slowly even as the marginal rate jumps.
Why Quebec is not at the bottom, yet
Quebec has the highest provincial income tax in the country at this salary, at $13,629 against $6,378 in Ontario, and its QPP and QPIP contributions cost more than CPP and EI elsewhere. Most rankings put it last for those reasons.
What they leave out is the federal abatement: Quebec residents get 16.5% of their basic federal tax back, worth about $2,375 on $100,000. That is enough to lift Quebec above Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia at this salary. Because the abatement is a fixed share of federal tax while Quebec's provincial rates keep climbing, it stops being enough from about $146,000, and above that Quebec is last.
Before you conclude the territories win
Nunavut tops this table, and Northwest Territories and Yukon are not far behind. On income tax alone that is real. As a reason to move it is not.
The cost of living in the territories is substantially higher than in southern Canada, particularly for food and housing, and the gap is far larger than the $8,127 of tax this page is measuring. A ranking of income tax is a ranking of income tax.
The same caution applies more mildly across the provinces. Alberta and Ontario are within about $577 of each other at this salary, which is smaller than most differences in rent between their major cities.
To run your own salary rather than the $100,000 example, the income tax calculator covers every province with CPP and EI included. If you are weighing what to do with the difference, the RRSP calculator shows the refund a contribution generates at your marginal rate, and our guide to TFSA, RRSP and FHSA covers which account should get it first.
Frequently asked questions
Which province has the highest take-home pay?
Nunavut, at $75,298 on a $100,000 salary on 2026 rates. Among the provinces rather than the territories, British Columbia leads at $73,935. The territories have low rates and small populations, which is why they head the list.
Which province has the highest income tax?
At $100,000, Nova Scotia, which leaves $67,171, $8,127 less than Nunavut. Quebec ranks third from the bottom at this salary because of the federal abatement, and only becomes the lowest take-home from about $146,000.
How much tax do you pay on $100,000 in Canada?
Between $24,702 and $32,829 on 2026 rates, depending on the province, counting federal tax, provincial tax, CPP and EI. The federal portion is identical everywhere except Quebec, where the abatement reduces it; the province supplies the rest of the difference.
Is take-home pay higher in Alberta or Ontario?
Ontario, narrowly, at $73,460 against Alberta's $72,883 on a $100,000 salary. Alberta's flat-rate reputation helps more at higher incomes; at $100,000 the two are within $577 of each other.
What is the Quebec abatement?
A refund of 16.5% of basic federal tax for Quebec residents, claimed on line 44000 of the federal return. It exists because Quebec runs programmes that Ottawa funds elsewhere. On a $100,000 salary it is worth about $2,375.
How much are CPP and EI on a $100,000 salary?
About $5,770 together outside Quebec. Both are capped, so they stop rising before $100,000 and are the same in every province except Quebec, which uses QPP and QPIP instead.
Do the territories really pay less tax?
Yes, on income. Nunavut, the Northwest Territories and Yukon all have low territorial rates. Whether that leaves you better off is a different question: the cost of living in the territories is substantially higher than in southern Canada.
Does moving province lower your tax?
It can, but residency is determined on 31 December of the tax year, and it means genuinely relocating, not just registering an address. Provincial tax follows where you actually live.
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Researching and writing about Canadian personal finance since 2026.
Last reviewed October 2026 · How we research
“Income Tax by Province: $8,127 Apart in Take-Home Pay.” Vault Nerd, https://www.vaultnerd.com/ca/learn/income-tax-by-province, updated October 2026.
- 2026 federal and provincial tax brackets as published in KPMG's consolidated rate table, current as of 30 June 2026
- 2026 CPP and EI maximums, and the Quebec QPP and QPIP rates
- Income Tax Act s. 120(2): the refundable Quebec abatement of 16.5% of basic federal tax, claimed on line 44000