Sources & assumptions
Baseline source list: September 2026; later targeted reviews are recorded separately.
This tool is deliberately transparent. Each parameter below is either a verified 2026 figure transcribed from the official source named beside it, or an editable planning estimate. Listing an authority does not imply any endorsement, affiliation or review by that authority.
Estimate only — not an official assessment. Core 2026 tax, payroll and Canada Child Benefit parameters are verified against official publications (last verified September 2026), while some provincial family benefit and childcare formulas remain planning estimates. See Sources & assumptions for each figure.
Federal tax, payroll and CCB parameters have official source records. This is not a verification of the entire calculator. Coverage and limitations are shown below.
- Tax brackets: 5
- Basic personal amount: $16,452 reducing to $14,829
- Canada employment amount: $1,501
- Annual CCB maximum: under 6 / ages 6–17: $8,157 / $6,883
- CPP/QPP earnings ceilings: first / second tier: $74,600 / $85,000
- Childcare deduction limits: under 7 / ages 7–16: $8,000 / $5,000
- Tax brackets: 3
- Basic personal amount: Not modelled
- No surtax applied in this model
- No health premium applied in this model
- Provincial family benefit not verified here; excluded, not assumed absent
- Federal childcare deduction only; provincial support not modelled
- Tax brackets: 4
- Basic personal amount: Not modelled
- No surtax applied in this model
- No health premium applied in this model
- Provincial family benefit not verified here; excluded, not assumed absent
- Federal childcare deduction only; provincial support not modelled
- Tax brackets: 8
- Basic personal amount: Not modelled
- No surtax applied in this model
- No health premium applied in this model
- Provincial family benefit not verified here; excluded, not assumed absent
- Federal childcare deduction only; provincial support not modelled
- Tax brackets: 4
- Basic personal amount: Not modelled
- No surtax applied in this model
- No health premium applied in this model
- Provincial family benefit not verified here; excluded, not assumed absent
- Federal childcare deduction only; provincial support not modelled
- Tax brackets: 5
- Basic personal amount: Not modelled
- No surtax applied in this model
- No health premium applied in this model
- Provincial family benefit not verified here; excluded, not assumed absent
- Federal childcare deduction only; provincial support not modelled
- Tax brackets: 4
- Basic personal amount: Not modelled
- No surtax applied in this model
- No health premium applied in this model
- Provincial family benefit not verified here; excluded, not assumed absent
- Federal childcare deduction only; provincial support not modelled
- Tax brackets: 6
- Basic personal amount: Not modelled
- No surtax applied in this model
- No health premium applied in this model
- Provincial family benefit not verified here; excluded, not assumed absent
- Federal childcare deduction only; provincial support not modelled
- Tax brackets: 3
- Basic personal amount: Not modelled
- No surtax applied in this model
- No health premium applied in this model
- Provincial family benefit not verified here; excluded, not assumed absent
- Federal childcare deduction only; provincial support not modelled
- Tax brackets: 5
- Basic personal amount: Not modelled
- No surtax applied in this model
- No health premium applied in this model
- Provincial family benefit not verified here; excluded, not assumed absent
- Federal childcare deduction only; provincial support not modelled
- Tax brackets: 5
- Basic personal amount: Not modelled
- Surtax included
- Health premium included
- Provincial family benefit: planning estimate; base-year income required
- Federal childcare deduction; provincial support shown separately as scenarios
- Tax brackets: 4
- Basic personal amount: Not modelled
- No surtax applied in this model
- No health premium applied in this model
- Provincial family benefit: planning estimate; base-year income required
- Québec childcare credit uses optional 2026 line-275 household net income; excluded if missing or invalid. Federal deduction remains preliminary.
- Tax brackets: 7
- Basic personal amount: Not modelled
- No surtax applied in this model
- No health premium applied in this model
- Provincial family benefit: partial modelling; see source limitations
- Federal childcare deduction; provincial support shown separately as scenarios
- Tax brackets: 6
- Basic personal amount: Not modelled
- No surtax applied in this model
- No health premium applied in this model
- Provincial family benefit: partial modelling; see source limitations
- Federal childcare deduction; provincial support shown separately as scenarios
Federal income tax brackets and rates (2026)
Verified 2026 parameterCanada Revenue Agency — current-year tax rates — 2026 tax year
Official referenceFederal income-tested basic personal amount
Verified 2026 parameterCanada Revenue Agency — payroll deductions and indexed amounts — 2026 tax year
Official referenceCanada employment amount
Verified 2026 parameterCanada Revenue Agency — indexed amounts — 2026 tax year
Official referenceQuebec abatement of basic federal tax (16.5%)
Verified 2026 parameterCanada Revenue Agency — 2026 tax year
Official referenceCPP and CPP2 contribution parameters
Verified 2026 parameterCanada Revenue Agency / ESDC contribution tables — 2026 contribution year
Official referenceEmployment Insurance premium parameters
Verified 2026 parameterCanada Employment Insurance Commission / CRA — 2026 contribution year
Official referenceQPP, QPP2 and QPIP contribution parameters
Verified 2026 parameterRevenu Québec — source deductions and contributions — 2026 contribution year
Official referenceCanada Child Benefit maximums and thresholds
Verified 2026 parameterCanada Revenue Agency — CCB payment amounts — July 2026–June 2027; 2025 base-year income
Official referenceChild care expense deduction limits
Verified 2026 parameterCanada Revenue Agency — child care expenses — 2026 tax year
Scope and limitations: The higher disability limit is not applied because disability status is not collected.
Official referenceOntario brackets, basic personal amount, surtax and Health Premium
Verified 2026 parameterCRA provincial tables / Ontario Ministry of Finance — 2026 tax year
Scope and limitations: The basic Ontario Tax Reduction is included. LIFT requires explicit eligibility confirmation; additional dependant reductions are not modelled.
Official referenceQuebec brackets and basic personal amount
Verified 2026 parameterRevenu Québec — income tax rates — 2026 tax year
Scope and limitations: Solidarity credit, work premium and other Quebec credits are not modelled.
Official referenceQuebec refundable childcare credit schedule (78% to 67%)
Verified 2026 parameterRevenu Québec — tax credit for childcare expenses — 2026 tax year
Scope and limitations: 2026 per-child ceilings: $12,525 under age 7 at year end; $6,305 otherwise (Finance Québec, table C.29). Revenu Québec’s under-14 eligibility rule and the $9.65 reduced contribution also apply. Disability ceiling not applied.
Official referenceBritish Columbia brackets and basic personal amount
Verified 2026 parameterCRA provincial tables / Government of British Columbia — 2026 tax year
Official referenceAlberta brackets and basic personal amount
Verified 2026 parameterCRA provincial tables / Government of Alberta — 2026 tax year
Official referenceOntario Child Benefit — planning estimate
Verified 2026 parameterGovernment of Ontario — July 2026–June 2027; 2025 base-year income
Scope and limitations: The maximum is published; the reduction formula used here remains an approximation.
Official referenceQuebec Family Allowance — planning estimate
Planning estimateRetraite Québec — Family Allowance — 2026 tax year
Scope and limitations: Published 2026 bounds only; exact Family Allowance is excluded. Its income test uses Québec return line 275, not federal AFNI or salary. July recalculation and custody/residency need separate review.
Official referenceBC Family Benefit — verified base-family formula
Verified 2026 parameterGovernment of British Columbia — July 2026–June 2027; 2025 base-year income
Scope and limitations: CRA and BC pages verified October 20, 2026: 4% reduction above $30,176 with published floors, then 4% above $96,562 down to zero. Single-parent supplement, shared custody and partial eligibility are not included.
Official referenceAlberta Child and Family Benefit — published amounts, limited modelling
Planning estimateGovernment of Alberta — July 2026–June 2027; 2025 base-year income
Scope and limitations: Working component uses separate optional 2025 family employment income, never AFNI/current salary. Verified 15% growth over $2,760 and published caps apply; above reduction thresholds only bounds are supported.
Official referenceOntario / BC / Alberta childcare support scenarios
Planning estimateProvincial childcare programs — Not independently validated
Scope and limitations: Entered fees may already be reduced. Ontario and Alberta scenario savings and BC fee-reduction ranges are not added to confirmed childcare relief totals. The federal deduction is reflected in tax only.
Official reference
| City | 2-bedroom rent | Adult transit / month |
|---|---|---|
| Toronto / GTA | $2,5472025 rental survey | $155.10Published adult fares; see city source |
| Ottawa | $2,1552025 rental survey | $138.50Published adult fares; see city source |
| Gatineau | $1,660Q4 2025 asking rent | $116.50Published adult fares; see city source |
| Montreal | $1,6442025 rental survey | $100.00Published adult fares; see city source |
| Vancouver | $2,6962025 rental survey | $117.20Published adult fares; see city source |
| Calgary | $1,8362025 rental survey | $126.00Published adult fares; see city source |
| Edmonton | $1,6002025 rental survey | $102.00Published adult fares; see city source |
STO ECHO may reduce the monthly pass to about $62 for eligible Gatineau residents, including newcomers in Canada for less than 12 months. An application and eligibility conditions apply.
Two-bedroom rent anchors (Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal)
Verified 2026 parameterCMHC Rental Market Survey — average turnover rent, two-bedroom purpose-built rental — 2025 survey
Official referenceGatineau two-bedroom rent anchor
Verified 2026 parameterStatistics Canada — asking rent, two-bedroom — Q4 2025
Official referenceRoom, one-bedroom and three-bedroom rent estimates
Planning estimateDerived from the two-bedroom anchor using transparent ratios — Not source-observed
Scope and limitations: Editable planning estimates, not observed market figures.
Official referenceAdult monthly transit pass / fare cap anchors
Verified 2026 parameterTTC, OC Transpo, STO, STM, TransLink, Calgary Transit, Edmonton Transit Service — 2026 published fares
Official referenceGroceries, utilities, car costs, health allowance, furniture, winter clothing and childcare
Planning estimateEditable defaults set by CARVED — Not independently validated
Scope and limitations: Costs vary by city, housing choice, family needs, lifestyle and market conditions.
Official reference
Editorial guides may summarize official information, but any unvalidated figures remain visibly labelled.
Partner Marketplace cards are placeholders. No approved active commercial offer or lead sharing is represented. Free Services & Perks remain separate.
Affiliate, sponsored or lead-generation relationships never change calculator inputs, assumptions or results.
- Employment income only; self-employment, investment, rental and pension income are not modelled.
- Basic personal amounts, the Canada employment amount and selected modelled provincial adjustments are applied. Other credits are not comprehensively modelled.
- Ontario Tax Reduction and BC tax reduction credit are not modelled.
- Quebec solidarity credit, work premium and the single-parent Family Allowance supplement are not modelled.
- Part-year residency and newcomer credit proration are not applied.
- CCB and provincial family benefits require 2025 adjusted family net income, including world income for any non-resident part of 2025. Missing or invalid input means not estimated and excluded from totals; current salary is not substituted.
- Foreign or pre-arrival income is not included in this simplified employment-tax estimate; that is not a conclusion about its actual tax treatment. Base-year world income still matters for benefits.
- CCB birthday and newborn transitions are modelled monthly when a valid birth date is supplied. Shared custody, child disability benefits and eligible months after arrival are not modelled.
- Benefit-year estimates use July–June amounts; they do not establish eligibility or predict payment dates.
- Federal childcare deduction; provincial support shown separately as scenarios
- Entered childcare fees may already include a reduction. Ontario and Alberta illustrative savings and BC ranges are excluded from confirmed childcare relief totals; deduction savings are reflected in tax, not added again.
- Standard 2026 employee deductions/credits are supported for Ontario, Québec, BC and Alberta with explicit situation answers. Annual BC tax uses 5.6% and its $690 reduction, not July catch-up withholding. Alberta’s working component uses optional separate 2025 employment income; BC’s verified 4% family-benefit reduction is applied. Missing or unsupported cases have specific reasons. Employment subtotals exclude refundable credits and unconfirmed benefits; no complete tax-return certification.