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How to Read an Ontario Paystub
A practical guide to gross pay, deductions, CPP, EI and net pay.
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Enter your own assumptions in the related tool. This page explains what to consider before interpreting the result.
Open Ontario Salary Calculator →What to consider
Start with the numbers you actually know. For income questions, distinguish gross pay from net pay. For borrowing questions, consider the rate, term, fees, taxes and insurance that apply to your situation. For savings questions, treat the rate of return as an assumption rather than a guarantee.
For Canadian tax, payroll, registered-account and lending questions, rules can change and personal circumstances matter. Use official government, employer, lender or account records to confirm important figures.
Reading each line: a $60,000 example
A biweekly paystub for a $60,000 Ontario salary starts with gross pay of $2,307.69 ($60,000 ÷ 26), then lists each deduction separately. Typical 2026 figures — rounded, since exact withholding depends on TD1 credits and payroll tables:
| Paystub line | Per paycheque |
|---|---|
| Gross pay | $2,307.69 |
| Federal income tax | −$250.00 |
| Ontario provincial tax | −$103.84 |
| CPP contributions | −$129.34 |
| EI premiums | −$37.85 |
| Total deductions | −$521.03 |
| Net pay (take-home) | $1,786.66 |
A missing line, a $0 where you expect a deduction, or tax well above these figures — ask payroll about it.
YTD: the year-to-date column that catches errors
Beside each current-period figure, paystubs show a YTD (year-to-date) total — everything paid or deducted since January 1. After 10 biweekly pays on the $60,000 example, YTD gross should read about $23,076.90 (10 × $2,307.69) and YTD net about $17,866.60 (10 × $1,786.66). Use the YTD column as an error detector: multiply any per-pay figure by pays received so far and compare. A mismatch usually signals a missed pay, a mid-year raise, or a deduction that started or stopped — worth flagging with payroll before the T4 is printed.
Why your net pay jumps late in the year
CPP and EI are not endless deductions — they stop at annual maximums: $4,230.45 for CPP and $1,123.07 for EI in 2026. A $60,000 earner never hits the CPP cap (about $3,361.75 a year), so net stays flat. Higher earners do hit it: at $100,000, about $220.84 of CPP comes off each biweekly cheque until the $4,230.45 maximum is reached around the 20th paycheque — then the CPP line drops to zero and take-home jumps roughly $220.84 per pay for the rest of the year. So if December cheques look bigger than March ones, that is usually why — not a raise.
Frequently asked questions
How accurate is this how to read an ontario paystub?
It is an educational estimate. Results depend on the assumptions you enter and may not match a payroll statement, lender decision, tax assessment or account statement.
What should I enter?
Use your own income, price, balance, rate, payment or contribution assumptions. For tax and payroll questions, verify important figures with official sources.
Can I use this for a final financial decision?
Use it as a planning tool. Confirm final amounts with the relevant employer, lender, financial institution or government source.
What is the difference between gross pay and net pay?
Gross pay ($2,307.69 biweekly on $60,000) is earnings before deductions. Net pay ($1,786.66) is what remains after federal tax, Ontario tax, CPP and EI — the amount that lands in your bank account and the only part you can spend.
My deductions look wrong — what should I do?
First check the YTD column against the number of pays received, then compare your withholding to the CRA payroll deduction tables for 2026. If it still looks off, ask your employer's payroll team and make sure your TD1 forms are current. Final reconciliation happens on your T4 at filing time.
Why did the CPP line on my paystub drop to $0?
You hit the $4,230.45 annual CPP maximum — contributions stop until January. EI works the same way at its $1,123.07 cap, which is why higher earners often see take-home rise late in the year.