Tax Brackets Canada 2022

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Lisa MacColl is a writer, investor and former compliance consultant in the group retirement and individual wealth management fields. Lisa has written about personal finance for 14 years and currently writes about investing and investment providers for Wealthsimple. Lisa's past work has been published in Canadian Money Saver, Advisor’s Edge, CBC, and CreditCards.ca. She was a nominee for the 2015 Oktoberfest Women of the Year, Professional Category. Lisa holds an M.A. and B.A. from the Wilfrid Laurier University.

It's that time of year: time for Canadians to jump through hoops trying to figure out how much tax to pay. While paying your taxes can be an exhausting exercise, it doesn't have to be — especially when you have all the information collected for you, which we've done below. Here's what you need to know about income tax rates:

How to Identify your Tax Bracket

How much tax you'll pay is determined by what province or territory you live in and how much income you declare from all sources. Importantly, your provincial rate is determined by the province you are living in on December 31 of the tax year. So, if you move from Ontario to Nova Scotia in July, and you find yourself living in Nova Scotia on December 31, you would fall under the Nova Scotia provincial tax rates.

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How Canadian Tax Brackets Work

Your tax bracket is based on “taxable income,” which is your gross income from all sources, minus any tax deductions you may qualify for. In other words, it’s your net income after you've claimed all your eligible deductions.

Once you know what your taxable income is, you'll then apply the relevant federal and provincial rates to it. You should calculate your federal income tax first and your provincial rate second. Add the two together, and presto!

Your marginal tax rate is the combined federal and provincial income taxes you pay on all sources of income at tax time. The tax rate varies by how much income you declare at the end of the year on your T1 General Income Tax Return (the form with the exciting-sounding name that you fill out at tax time) and where you live in Canada.

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Provincial Tax Brackets Rates 2022 (in addition to federal tax)

Like we said, the province you live in on December 31 determines the provincial portion of your income tax. So, if you are planning on skipping town for a province with lower taxes, do it before December 31. The following are the provincial tax rates for 2022 (in addition to federal tax) according to the Canada Revenue Agency:

ProvinceTax Rate
British Columbia5.06% on the first $43,070 of taxable income
7.7% on taxable income between $43,070 and $86,141
10.5% on taxable income between $86,141 and $98,901
12.29% on taxable income between $98,901 and $120,094
14.7% on taxable income between $120,094 and $162,832
16.8% on taxable income between $162,832 and $227,091
20.5% on taxable income over $227,091
Alberta10% on the first $134,238 of taxable income
12% on taxable income between $134,238 and $161,086
13% on taxable income between $161,086 and $214,781
14% on taxable income between $214,781 and $322,171
15% on taxable income over $322,171
Saskatchewan10.5% on the first $46,773 of taxable income
12.5% on taxable income between $46,773 and $133,638
14.5% on taxable income over $133,638
Manitoba10.8% on the first $34,431 of taxable income
12.75% on taxable income between $34,431 and $74,416
17.4% on taxable income over $74,416
Ontario5.05% on the first $46,226 of taxable income
9.15% on taxable income between $46,226 and $92,454
11.16% on taxable income between $92,454 and $150,000
12.16% on taxable income between $150,000 and $220,000
13.16 % on taxable income over $220,000
Quebec15% on the first $46,295 of taxable income
20% on taxable income between $46,295 and $92,580
24% on taxable income between $92,580 and $112,655
25.75% on taxable income over $112,655
New Brunswick9.4% on the first $44,887 of taxable income
14.82% on taxable income between $44,887 and $89,775
16.52% on taxable income between $89,775 and $145,955
17.84% on taxable income between $145,955 and $166,280
20.3% on taxable income over $166,280
Nova Scotia8.79% on the first $29,590 of taxable income
14.95% on taxable income between $29,590 and $59,180
16.67% on taxable income between $59,180 and $93,000
17.5% on taxable income between $93,000 and $150,000
21% on taxable income over $150,000
Prince Edward Island9.8% on the first $31,984 of taxable income
13.8% on on taxable income between 31,984 and $63,969
16.7% on taxable income over $63,969
Newfoundland and Labrador8.7% on the first $39,147 of taxable income
14.5% on taxable income between $39,147 and $78,294
15.8% on taxable income between $78,294 and $139,780
17.8% on taxable income between $139,780 and $195,693
19.8% on taxable income between $195,693 and $250,000
20.8% on taxable income between $250,000 an d $500,000
21.3% on taxable income between $500,000 and $1,000,000
21.8% on taxable income over $1,000,000
Nunavut4% on the first $47,862 of taxable income
7% on taxable income between $47,862 and $95,724
9% on taxable income between $95,724 and $155,625
11.5% on taxable income over $155,625
Yukon6.4% on the first $50,197 of taxable income
9% on taxable income between $50,197 and $100,392
10.9% on taxable income between $100,392 and $155,625
12.8% on taxable income between $155,625 and $500,000
15% on taxable income over $500,000
Northwest Territories5.9% on the first $45,462 of taxable income
8.6% on taxable income between $45,462 and $90,927
12.2% on taxable income between $90,927 and $147,826
14.05% on taxable income over $147,826

Remember: Your marginal tax rate is the total of both federal and provincial/territorial taxes on income.

Example of tax calculation

Meet a fictional person named John who lives in British Columbia. John has been contributing to a Wealthsimple RRSP to reduce his taxable income. After his RRSP contribution and other tax deductions and tax credits, he has taxable income of $55,000. Here's what his tax calculation might look like:

John's Federal tax bill The first $50,197 is taxed at 15% (the lowest income tax bracket), which works out to $7,529.55. He has $4,803 remaining, ($55,000-$50,197) — that amount will be taxed at a higher rate of 20.5% which works out to $984.62. This means his total federal tax owing is $7,529.55 + $984.62, or $8,514.17

John's provincial tax bill (using BC rates as example) Remember, John's provincial rate is based on his province of residence as of December 31. John's first $43,070 will be taxed at 5.06%, which works out to $2,179.34. The remaining $11,930 ($55,000-$43,070) will be taxed at 7.7% which works out to $918.61. His total provincial tax is $3,097.95.

John's total tax bill John's combined federal and provincial taxes owing is $8,514.17 + $3,097.95, or $11,612.12.

Tax Credits and Tax deductions

Tax credits and tax deductions can reduce either your income or the amount of tax you owe.

Tax credits

Both federal and territorial/provincial tax credits exist, and you'll be glad to hear they help you pay less tax. There are two types: non-refundable and refundable.

Non-refundable tax credits

A non-refundable tax credit reduces the amount of tax payable. In order to claim a non-refundable tax credit, you must actually owe taxes — in other words, you must have earned enough income to owe income tax. Non-refundable tax credits can reduce your tax owing to zero, but if you have more tax credits than tax owing, you do not receive a refund for any surplus amount. Let's make that more concrete: if you owe $2,500 in taxes and have non-refundable tax credits for $2,700, your taxes will be reduced to zero, but you will not receive the extra $200.

Some non-refundable tax credits include:

  • Personal exemption amount (anyone who owes tax is entitled to claim this exemption)

  • Credit for taxpayers over age 65

  • Credit for taxpayers with children

  • Credit for people receiving a pension

  • Credit for people with a certified disability

  • Credit for people who are caregivers to someone with a disability

Some other non-refundable tax credits include tuition, medical expenses, Employment Insurance and Canada Pension Plan, interest paid on student loans and adoption expenses. Most territorial and provinces have tax credits to reduce the territorial and provincial tax owing.

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Refundable Tax Credits

Refundable tax credits are paid to anyone who qualifies for them, whether they had income or not. Usually, they're paid out over the year. The most well-known refundable tax credit is the GST/HST payment that people whose income falls below a certain threshold receive.

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Tax deductions

Tax deductions don't work as many people suppose. Instead of reducing the amount of taxes you need to pay, a tax deduction actually reduces the income you are taxed on, which can put you in a lower tax bracket and reduce the amount of taxes you will owe.

The most common tax deductions are:

  • Pension Adjustment. You get credit for any pension contributions made in the calendar year on your behalf. Your employer will list the Pension Adjustment amount in box 52 on your T4 slip that lists your income and income tax deducted for the year.

  • Union and professional dues

  • Child care expenses

  • Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) contributions up to the maximum allowable amount per year. Your financial institution will provide you with a contribution receipt, and you can find out how much RRSP contribution room you have by looking on your Notice of Assessment (the summary form that you receive after you have filed your previous year’s taxes), by looking on your tax account or by calling CRA at 1-800-959-8281. You can also learn more about RRSP contribution limits.

  • Donations to charitable organizations or political parties

Capital gains taxes

Christopher Liew, a Chartered Financial Analyst and the founder of Wealth Awesome, explains the importance of understanding the difference between income tax and capital gains tax.

"Understand the Canadian tax rules for different investment types, such as interest income being 100% taxable while capital gains are only 50% taxable. You can save more on taxes if you put interest-earning assets into your TFSA or RRSP."

What to do if you can't pay all of your taxes

If you owe income tax, the Canada Revenue Agency will let you work out a payment plan if you cannot pay the taxes all at once. You will be charged interest on any balance you still owe. But be careful: if you owe income tax and don’t pay, and you don’t make an attempt to work out a payment plan, CRA can seize any refundable tax credits you may be eligible for, and they may take you to court and seize the contents of your bank account. Here's more information about potential consequences for non-payment of taxes.

If you want to reduce your tax bill, Wealthsimple has a number of financial products such as RRSPs, that can help you reduce the amount of income tax you pay.

Last Updated January 30, 2023

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