Updated Checked by the Tax-Services.ca editorial team How we check
If you live in Quebec you file two income tax returns every year, one federal and one for the province, and the province collects its own tax through Revenu Québec. Quebec’s brackets run from 14% to 25.75% for 2026, and on top of income tax you pay QPP, QPIP and QST. Those pieces are why Quebec taxes look so different from everywhere else in Canada.
How do Quebec taxes work with two returns?
The federal return goes to the CRA. The Quebec return goes to Revenu Québec, and the two agencies don’t share a single form. Even with no income and nothing owing, Revenu Québec says you should still file to claim credits and assistance programs.
To soften the overlap, Quebecers get a federal abatement. The Department of Finance describes it as a reduction of 16.5 percentage points of federal personal income tax for filers in Quebec, so a Quebec resident pays less to Ottawa and more to Quebec City. It’s applied on the federal form automatically, and we used it in our numbers.
What are the Quebec tax brackets for 2026?
There are four steps. Even the lowest, 14%, is above Ontario’s top provincial rate of 13.16%, and the comparison further down shows the effect.
| Taxable income | Quebec rate |
|---|---|
| Up to $54,345 | 14% |
| $54,345 to $108,680 | 19% |
| $108,680 to $132,245 | 24% |
| Over $132,245 | 25.75% |
The basic personal amount is $18,952, and it earns a credit at 14%. Brackets come from the Finances Québec 2026 parameters, and a budget summary we read shows no change to the personal income tax rates for the year. The brackets and the $18,952 amount match what we could read of the Quebec parameters for 2026, but we couldn’t open that document ourselves, so check it on your return.
What else comes off a Quebec paycheque?
QPP is Quebec’s own version of the CPP. For 2026 it applies to earnings up to $74,600, with an extra layer up to $85,000. The employee’s rate is 6.3% on earnings above a $3,500 exemption, which makes the maximum for the main part $4,479.30. QPIP pays for parental leave, and the employee rate we used is 0.43% up to $103,000. Employment insurance is charged at a lower rate in Quebec, 1.30%, because QPIP covers parental benefits.
Check the pieces on your own pay stub with the take-home pay calculator, which handles QPP and QPIP when you choose Quebec.
What does $70,000 cost in Quebec versus Ontario?
We ran the same salary through our engine for both. It estimates income tax and payroll deductions, and leaves out most credits.
| $70,000 salary | Quebec | Ontario |
|---|---|---|
| Federal tax | $6,041 | $7,278 |
| Provincial tax | $6,867 | $3,856 |
| Pension, EI and QPIP | $5,386 | $5,080 |
| Left after all of it | $51,706 | $53,786 |
The Quebec worker keeps about $2,080 less. The federal abatement claws back part of the gap, but the province’s higher bracket rates and the extra payroll charges outweigh it. To test your own income, use the income tax calculator and pick Quebec, then compare with Ontario in the same tool.
Why does Quebec feel different from the rest of the country?
Because you deal with two tax agencies, two returns and a set of payroll charges nobody else has. Take Marc in Laval at $70,000. He sees QPP and QPIP lines on his stub that his cousin in Mississauga doesn’t, plus a bigger provincial tax number. Neither is a mistake. It’s how the system is built, and the abatement is the main thing that evens it out.
How does QST work?
Quebec doesn’t use HST. You pay 5% GST plus 9.975% QST, which gives 14.975% when both apply to the same price. A $1,000 purchase comes to $1,149.75 at the till. The GST and QST calculator splits the two for you, and it’s the one to use if you sell something in Quebec and need to know how much tax to add.
Where these estimates can go wrong
Our tool doesn’t model the many Quebec credits, such as the solidarity credit, and it doesn’t know your deductions. The Quebec work deduction, 6% of employment income to a maximum of $1,450, is included. Dividend credits and the health services fund that employers pay came from secondary sources, and we couldn’t read Revenu Québec‘s own pages from our research tools. The QPIP rate matches Revenu Québec’s published table. So use these numbers to compare and plan, and let your return decide the final figure.
Also, we haven’t confirmed the 2026 filing date for the Quebec return. Use the deadline printed on your Revenu Québec notice.
Where this information comes from
Brackets, the basic personal amount and QPP figures come from the Finances Québec 2026 parameters and Retraite Québec. The federal side uses the CRA’s 2026 rates. Sales tax rates are from the CRA’s provincial rates page. This is an independent site, not connected to any tax agency.
Frequently asked questions
Do I file two tax returns in Quebec?
Yes. Quebec residents file a federal return with the CRA and a Quebec return with Revenu Québec.
What are the 2026 Quebec tax rates?
14% up to $54,345, 19% to $108,680, 24% to $132,245 and 25.75% above that.
What is the QST rate?
9.975%, charged with the 5% GST. Together that is 14.975% on a taxable purchase.
Do I pay more tax in Quebec than in Ontario?
On $70,000 of salary our engine shows about $2,080 less take-home in Quebec, after income tax, QPP, QPIP and EI.
What is the federal abatement?
A 16.5% cut in federal tax for Quebec residents. We could only confirm this rate through secondary sources.
- How Canadian income tax works: brackets and credits
How federal and provincial Canadian income tax stack up, what marginal and average rates mean, and how credits and deductions change your bill
- Quebec income tax, QPP and QST in 2026
How Quebec income tax works in 2026: its own return and brackets, the federal abatement, QPP and QPIP contributions, QST, and calculators for Quebec