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Reaching Your CPP Contribution Maximum: What Workers Need to Know

  Understanding when you’ve hit the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) maximum contribution for the year can save you confusion—and help you make sense of your paycheques as the year goes on. The CPP is designed with an annual limit, meaning once you’ve contributed the maximum required amount, no further CPP deductions should come off your income for the rest of that calendar year. How CPP Contributions Work CPP contributions are based on: Your employment income The year’s maximum pensionable earnings (YMPE) The CPP contribution rate Each year, the federal government sets: A maximum amount of income on which CPP contributions apply (the YMPE) The maximum total contribution you and your employer must make Once your income reaches that threshold, your contributions stop automatically. How to Know You’ve Reached the Maximum Here are the simplest ways to tell: Check your pay stub Your pay stub shows year‑to‑date CPP contributions. Compare this number to the annual maximum ...

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Canada’s Income Tax Brackets for 2023: A Comprehensive Guide

 

Quickly find your federal and provincial tax brackets to help you prep for your 2023 income tax return.

As we approach the end of the year, it’s important to start thinking about your 2023 income tax return. One of the most important things to understand is which federal and provincial tax brackets your income falls into. This information lets you estimate how much tax you owe on your 2023 income, and helps you figure out whether to increase your registered retirement savings plan (RRSP) contributions, with the aim of reducing your notice of assessment (NOA) balance owing to $0—and maybe even score a refund.

Canada has a progressive tax system instead of a flat system where everyone pays the same percentage. So, here, people with lower incomes pay a lower percentage, and rates increase progressively for higher income earners through different tax brackets. In other words, the more you make, the more tax you pay on your earnings.

Canada has five federal tax brackets with different tax rates, and because we also pay taxes to the provincial or territorial government where we live, they each have their own tax brackets.

Here’s a quick summary of Canada’s federal income tax brackets for 2023:

  • 15% on the first $50,197 of taxable income
  • 20.5% on the next $50,198-$100,394 of taxable income
  • 26% on the next $100,395-$151,978 of taxable income
  • 29% on the next $151,979-$216,511 of taxable income
  • 33% on taxable income over $216,511

It’s important to note that these tax brackets are subject to change from year to year, and the income ranges are usually adjusted annually for inflation.

To figure out your estimated provincial/territorial tax, follow steps similar to those explained above for the federal tax brackets.

Knowing where you fit within the tax brackets can help you anticipate whether you will owe taxes in April or you will receive a tax refund. And if you owe money, it’s better to find out earlier than later. That way you can save up the money ahead of the May 2, 2023, tax payment deadline and avoid having to pay interest and penalties on overdue taxes. (Normally, the payment deadline is April 30, but in 2023 that falls on a Sunday.)


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