Updated Checked by the Tax-Services.ca editorial team How we check
Canada has no state income tax, because it has no states. It has ten provinces and three territories, and each one charges its own income tax on top of the federal tax. On an $80,000 salary in 2026, the combined bill runs from $12,132 in Nunavut to $16,352 in Quebec, a gap of $4,220.
What if you meant the American states?
Then this page won’t give you the figures. Each US state sets its own rules, and we have no verified 2026 numbers for them. Any state’s revenue department publishes its own rates, and that’s where to check.
What we can do is show the Canadian equivalent, which is how the provinces stack up.
How do provincial income tax rates compare?
You pay federal tax first and provincial tax second, both on the same taxable income. The federal brackets are the same across the country, so the differences between provinces come from the provincial part. Here are the ones whose 2026 rates we could confirm on official pages.
| Province or territory | Lowest rate | Top rate |
|---|---|---|
| Alberta | 8% | 15% |
| Ontario | 5.05% | 13.16% |
| Saskatchewan | 10.5% | 14.5% |
| Manitoba | 10.8% | 17.4% |
| Northwest Territories | 5.9% | 14.05% |
| Nunavut | 4% | 11.5% |
| Quebec | 14% | 25.75% |
British Columbia, Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island are missing on purpose. Their official sources disagree on some 2026 figures, and we won’t guess. New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Yukon are left out because we haven’t confirmed their rates on an official page yet.
Which province takes the most from $80,000?
The first table says little on its own, because rates apply to slices of income and every province sets its own personal amount, and a low starting rate can be undone by low bracket limits further up. A real salary is the better test. We ran $80,000 of employment income through the income tax calculator, with no other income and no deductions.
| Province or territory | Income tax |
|---|---|
| Nunavut | $12,132 |
| Northwest Territories | $13,264 |
| Alberta | $13,733 |
| Ontario | $14,128 |
| Saskatchewan | $15,409 |
| Manitoba | $16,202 |
| Quebec | $16,352 |
The federal part is $9,243 everywhere except Quebec, which gets a federal abatement, so its federal share is $7,675 and its Quebec share is $8,677. Ontario’s figure includes the health premium, which is $750 at this income in our data.
Alberta comes in $395 below Ontario here. That’s the gap for this one salary, and it won’t hold at every income.
What does this table leave out?
A lot. Income tax is one bill among several. CPP or QPP and EI come out of your pay too, and the amounts differ a little in Quebec, where the total for this salary is $5,935 against $5,570 elsewhere. Sales tax, property tax and housing costs vary far more than income tax does.
Our numbers also assume one job and a single person. Add a spouse, children or an RRSP deduction and the order can change. The marginal tax rate calculator shows the rate on your next dollar in your province. Its Ontario result reads unusually high near $200,000, and we haven’t pinned down why, so don’t take it as a plain bracket rate.
Moving for tax reasons? The take-home pay calculator shows what lands in your account. That’s what you’d compare, along with rent and the cost of living.
Which return do you file, and where?
You file the tax for the province where you lived on 31 December, per the CRA. Move in November and the whole year goes to the new province.
Outside Quebec, one return goes to the CRA and covers both federal and provincial tax. Quebec runs its own tax administration, Revenu Québec, so Quebec residents file a separate provincial return. For a look at how one province works in detail, read our page on an Alberta tax return.
Where the numbers come from
Provincial rates for Alberta, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut come from the CRA’s 2026 rates page and payroll tables. Quebec’s come from Revenu Québec and the CRA, and we treat the secondary Quebec items as unconfirmed. Results are our own calculator output for 2026, verified in September 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Does Canada have state income tax?
No. Canada has provinces and territories, and each charges its own income tax alongside the federal tax.
Which province has the lowest income tax?
Of the ones we could confirm, Nunavut came out lowest on an $80,000 salary at $12,132, then the Northwest Territories at $13,264.
Do I file a separate return for my province?
Outside Quebec, no. One return to the CRA covers federal and provincial tax. Quebec residents also file with Revenu Québec.
Which province do I pay tax to if I moved this year?
The one where you lived on 31 December, according to the CRA.
Where can I find US state tax rates?
On each state's own revenue department site. We haven't verified any 2026 US figures, so this page doesn't quote them.
Information only. This page is general information, not tax, legal or accounting advice. Tax-Services.ca is an independent publisher: we don't prepare or file tax returns or offer tax services, and we have no connection with the CRA, Revenu Québec, any government or any company named on this page. Check the figures that matter with an official source or a qualified professional.