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TD1 AB is the Alberta personal tax credits return, and its main number for 2026 is the basic personal amount of $22,769. You fill it out for your employer so they know how much tax to hold back from each pay. It goes alongside the federal TD1, whose basic amount is $16,452.
What is the TD1 AB form for?
It’s a short form your employer uses to work out payroll tax. You list the credits you’re entitled to, your employer collects the form, and each cheque is taxed as if you’d claimed them. The claims are estimates. Your real tax is settled when you file your return in the spring.
There are two forms, not one. The federal TD1 covers the federal credits, and the TD1 AB covers Alberta’s. The CRA page for the 2026 federal form says employers can hand out the link and take back a scanned or printed copy, so a paper original isn’t the only way anymore.
Which province’s form you use if you live in one place and work in another is something we couldn’t confirm from the pages we read. Ask your employer, or check the CRA’s payroll pages.
What amounts are on the 2026 forms?
| Claim | Federal TD1 | Alberta TD1 AB |
|---|---|---|
| Basic personal amount | $16,452 | $22,769 |
| Credit rate applied | 14% | 8% |
| Age amount (65 or older) | $9,208 | $6,345 |
| Pension income amount (lesser of this or your eligible pension income) | $2,000 | $1,753 |
| Disability amount (approved for the credit) | $10,341 | Not confirmed |
The federal basic amount shrinks for high earners. It drops to $14,829 once net income reaches $258,482, starting from $181,440. Alberta’s basic amount is a single figure on the form. The age amount is cut by 15% of net income above $47,234 on the Alberta form and above $46,432 on the federal one.
What is the basic personal amount worth in dollars?
It’s a credit, so the value is the amount times the rate. Federally, $16,452 at 14% is $2,303.28. In Alberta, $22,769 at 8% is $1,821.52. Together that’s $4,124.80 a year off your tax, or roughly $79 a week.
Now see it in a real pay. Someone earning $60,000 in Alberta pays $5,338.30 federal tax and $2,631.30 Alberta tax in the take-home pay calculator. CPP takes $3,361.75 and EI $978.00, leaving $47,690.66. That figure already counts the basic personal amount and the pension and EI credits, so it’s the number to compare against your pay stub.
If the stub is far off, look at what you told your employer. The payroll deductions calculator is a good second check, and the tax credits calculator shows what extra claims are worth. That tool is federal only, so Alberta’s credits come on top.
Which mistakes and limits matter on the TD1 AB?
Don’t claim what you can’t prove later. An age or disability amount you don’t qualify for means tax owing in April. If you get the disability amount, you need the approved credit, and you can look at the rules with the disability tax credit calculator.
The other trap is a change of life. A new baby, a marriage or a job change means the form may be out of date. The forms are for withholding only, so a wrong claim doesn’t decide your final tax, but it can leave you with a bill or a big refund you didn’t need to wait for.
What if you never fill it in? We couldn’t confirm from the CRA pages what an employer must do with no form on file, so ask your payroll office instead of guessing. Same goes for the rule on claiming the basic amount with more than one employer.
Anything the forms don’t ask about, such as RRSP deductions, can lower your tax without a TD1. For an estimate use the income tax calculator and choose Alberta.
Where do these figures come from?
The federal amounts come from the CRA’s 2026 TD1 form and the Alberta amounts from the CRA’s 2026 TD1AB form and its T4032 payroll tables, all read in September 2026. Tax examples come from this site’s calculators. We aren’t connected with the CRA or the Alberta government.
Frequently asked questions
What is the TD1 AB?
It's the Alberta personal tax credits return. Your employer uses it, together with the federal TD1, to work out how much tax to deduct from your pay.
What is the Alberta basic personal amount for 2026?
$22,769 according to the CRA's TD1AB and payroll tables, applied at an 8% credit rate.
Do I fill out the TD1 AB and the federal TD1?
Employers collect both, since the federal and provincial credits are separate. Ask your employer which forms they want.
Is the TD1 AB my final tax?
No. It only sets what's withheld from each cheque. Your final tax is worked out when you file your return.
What if my situation changes during the year?
Give your employer an updated form, for example after a change in family status, so the tax held back matches your claims.
- How to file your tax return in Canada: steps and dates
What to gather, when your return is due and how to file in Canada, from the first slip to the notice of assessment that closes the year
- Alberta income tax and GST in 2026
How Alberta income tax works in 2026: six brackets, an 8% credit rate, no provincial sales tax, no surtax or health premium, and Alberta calculators
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.