Here's the maximum income you can earn without having to pay taxes across Canada in 2026

Tax season might feel far away, but understanding how much you can earn without paying taxes in Canada could help you plan your finances for the year ahead.

If you're planning ahead for tax season — or just trying to figure out what salary you can earn in 2026 before the Canada Revenue Agency comes knocking — the basic personal amount (BPA) is where you'll want to start.

The BPA is one of the biggest and most accessible tax credits in Canada. It's basically the amount of income you can earn without paying any federal income tax.

READ ALSO: Canada's 2026 federal income tax brackets are out — Here's how much you'll pay next year

Each province and territory also has its own BPA, which works the same way for your provincial or territorial tax return.

Like most years, this tax credit is going up in 2026 to match inflation in most jurisdictions — and depending on where you live, you could earn as much as $22,769 before owing a cent in income taxes to your province or territory and/or the CRA.

What is the basic personal amount?

The basic personal amount is a non-refundable tax credit. It reduces the amount of tax you owe, and everyone gets it automatically — there's no need to apply separately.

There's one for your federal taxes and one for your provincial or territorial taxes. If your total taxable income is less than both, you won't owe any income tax at all.

Think of it like a tax-free zone. You only start paying tax on the income that goes above these thresholds — and since the two amounts aren't always the same, the lower one is what really matters if you want to pay zero tax.

Let's break it down by region so you can see what this looks like across the country.

The federal BPA for 2026

In 2026, the maximum federal basic personal amount is officially set at $16,452 for anyone making $181,440 or less.

This number is indexed to inflation, and it's been confirmed by the CRA.

That's up 2% from $16,129 in 2025, so if you got a small minimum wage adjustment or cost-of-living raise, it shouldn't affect your credit for next year.

Provincial and territorial BPAs for 2026

Here's how the 2026 basic personal amounts look across Canada — plus the maximum you can earn in each place before paying any income tax at all.

Alberta
BPA for 2026: $22,769
Alberta has the number one highest tax-free threshold in Canada. It's a 2.0% increase from 2025, even though Alberta's CPI rose by 2.1%. That's because of Bill 32, passed in late 2024, which caps future BPA increases at 2.0% per year.

British Columbia
BPA for 2026: $13,216
This is up 2.2% from 2025, based on the province's CPI. Since this is lower than the federal BPA, $13,216 is the max income you can earn completely tax-free if you live in B.C., although you still won't pay the federal portion of tax on the next $3,236 of income you make.

Manitoba
BPA for 2026: $15,780
No change here — the province froze indexation for 2025 and subsequent tax years in its 2025 Budget. That means the BPA remains the same as it was in 2024. If you earn more than this, you'll pay only provincial tax until the federal tax kicks in.

New Brunswick
BPA for 2026: $13,664
This is up 2.0% from 2025, since the province uses the federal indexation rate. It's still below the federal BPA, so $13,664 is your real tax-free limit here.

Newfoundland and Labrador
BPA for 2026: $11,188
This went up just 1.1%, based on the province's CPI. It's the lowest BPA in the country right now. The new PC government campaigned on raising it to $15,000 in the recent October election, but hasn't tabled any legislation to make this happen yet — so this lower number still applies for now.

Northwest Territories
BPA for 2026: $18,198
This is a 2.0% increase, following the federal indexation rate. It's well above the federal BPA, so you won't owe any territorial income tax until you pass this amount.

Nova Scotia
BPA for 2026: $11,932
The new amount is up 1.6% from 2025, based on Nova Scotia's CPI. This is still one of the lowest thresholds in Canada, so income tax kicks in earlier here than in most provinces.

Nunavut
BPA for 2026: $19,659
This territory uses the federal indexation rate, so this is up 2.0% from 2025. That makes this one of the highest BPAs in the country — Nunavut residents get a fairly large tax-free cushion.

Ontario
BPA for 2026: $12,989
This is up 1.9% from 2025, based on Ontario's CPI. Since it's lower than the federal BPA, $12,989 is your income limit that's completely tax-free, before provincial taxes start creeping in.

Prince Edward Island
BPA for 2026: $15,000
Unlike most provinces, P.E.I. doesn't automatically index most tax credits to a set inflation standard, but instead adjusts the BPA and certain other amounts each year in its budget. P.E.I.'s 2025 Budget proposed this number, which represents an increase of 2.4%.

Quebec
BPA for 2026: $18,952
Revenu Québec has confirmed this number, indexed by 2.05% from this year based on Quebec's CPI. It's one of the highest BPA amounts in Canada.

Saskatchewan
BPA for 2026: $20,381
Saskatchewan uses the federal indexation rate, so this is a 2.0% increase. It's among the highest tax-free thresholds nationwide.

Yukon
BPA for 2026: $16,452
Yukon mirrors the federal BPA and tax brackets, so the same $16,452 maximum applies here for anyone making $181,440 or less.

So depending on where you live, your tax-free income limit ranges from $11,188 to $22,769.

What if I earn a bit more than the BPA?

If you earn just over your region's BPA, don't panic — you'll still get to subtract the BPA amount from your income and only pay tax on the portion that's above the threshold. And even if you owe a little tax, it might be a pretty small amount depending on how much you went over.

Also, the BPA is just one of many tax credits available in Canada.

Depending on your situation, you might qualify for others — like the Canada Workers Benefit, the Disability Tax Credit or the GST/HST Credit — which can push your tax-free income even higher.

TL;DR

If you're trying to avoid paying too much income tax in Canada in 2026, check the basic personal amount for your province or territory. That number sets the limit for how much you can make before tax kicks in — and it's different depending on where you live.

In some parts of Canada, you can earn up to about $22,000 before owing any provincial or territorial income tax, while others hit the limit closer to $11K.

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