TD1AB, the Alberta Personal Tax Credits Return, is the form you give your employer or payer so it knows how much Alberta income tax to take from your pay. You fill it in alongside the federal TD1 when you start a job, start a pension or want to change your claim. For 2026 the Alberta basic personal amount on line 1 is $22,769, as of October 2026, and if you don't hand in the form you only get that basic amount.
This guide follows the 2026 TD1AB, version TD1AB E (26), and the CRA TD1AB page, as of October 2026. Every dollar figure here is in Canadian dollars and comes from that form.
When you need to fill it in
The form says to fill in TD1AB if you have income in Alberta and any of these apply:
- You have a new employer or payer and you'll get salary, wages, commissions, pensions, Employment Insurance benefits or other pay.
- You want to change the amounts you claimed before, for example because your number of eligible dependants changed.
- You want more tax taken off at source.
Sign and date it, then give it to your employer or payer, not the CRA. The CRA's page also tells employers they can send staff a link to the form rather than handing out paper copies. If you've worked in Ontario, its version is TD1ON, and each province has its own.
The 2026 Alberta amounts
| Line | Claim | 2026 amount or rule |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Basic personal amount | $22,769, for every person employed in Alberta and every pensioner living there |
| 2 | Age amount | $6,345 if you'll be 65 or older on December 31, 2026 and net income is $47,234 or less; partial between $47,234 and $89,534 |
| 3 | Pension income amount | $1,753 or your estimated annual pension, whichever is less |
| 4 | Disability amount | $17,563 if you'll claim it using Form T2201 |
| 7 | Caregiver amount | $13,180; dependant's net income $20,956 or less, partial up to $34,136 |
| 8 | Infirm dependants 18 or older | $13,180; dependant's net income $8,707 or less, partial up to $21,887 |
For a partial age, caregiver or infirm dependant amount you use the matching section of Form TD1AB-WS, the 2026 worksheet. Line 3 doesn't count Canada Pension Plan, Quebec Pension Plan, Old Age Security or Guaranteed Income Supplement payments as pension income.
The spouse and eligible dependant lines
Lines 5 and 6 don't have fixed amounts. You enter the difference between the line 1 amount and the person's estimated net income for the year.
- Line 5, spouse or common-law partner: you support them, they live with you, and their net income will be less than line 1.
- Line 6, eligible dependant: you don't have a spouse or partner, or you're not living with, supporting or supported by them; the dependant is related to you and lives with you; and their net income will be less than line 1.
Line 8 can't be used for a dependant you've already claimed on line 7, and the infirm dependant has to live in Canada and be related to you or your partner.
Transfers from a partner or dependant
Line 9 lets you claim the part of your spouse's or partner's age, pension income or disability amount they won't use on their own return. Line 10 does the same for a dependant's unused disability amount. Line 11 adds lines 1 to 10, and that total claim is what your employer uses to work out your Alberta tax.
Two jobs, or income under the claim
If you've more than one employer or payer at the same time and you've already claimed your credits on another TD1AB for 2026, you can't claim them again. If your total income will be more than the credits you claimed on the other form, tick the box, enter 0 on line 11 and leave lines 2 to 10 blank.
If your total income for the year from every employer and payer will be less than your line 11 claim, there's a box for that too. Tick it and your employer won't deduct tax from your earnings.
Changing how much tax comes off
TD1AB has no box for extra tax. If you want more tax deducted, use the Additional tax to be deducted section of the federal TD1.
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To have less taken off, for example because of RRSP contributions, child care or employment expenses, charitable donations or tuition carried forward, you fill in Form T1213 and get a letter of authority from your tax services office, then give it to your employer. You don't need the letter if your employer already deducts RRSP contributions from your salary.
If you skip the form
Without a TD1AB, your employer or payer deducts Alberta tax after allowing only the basic personal amount. That's fine if line 1 is the only line that applies to you. If you'd qualify for the age, pension, disability or caregiver lines, not handing it in means more tax comes off each pay until you claim it back on your return.
Non-residents and pensioners
The top of the form has a box for non-residents only, asking for the country of permanent residence. Pensioners count too: line 1 covers every pensioner living in Alberta as well as everyone employed there, so a TD1AB goes to a pension payer just as it does to an employer. The CRA's notice for employers on the TD1AB page also says staff can scan a completed form and send it online, or hand in a printed copy.
The verdict
TD1AB is a short form with real effects on every payslip. Fill it in when you start a job or pension in Alberta, check the 2026 thresholds against your own estimate of net income, and hand a new one in whenever your situation changes. Sign it, because the form warns that making a false return is a serious offence.
Frequently asked questions
What is TD1AB?
It's the Alberta Personal Tax Credits Return your employer or payer uses to work out how much Alberta tax to deduct from your pay.
What is the 2026 Alberta basic personal amount on TD1AB?
As of October 2026, line 1 of the 2026 TD1AB shows $22,769.
Do I send TD1AB to the CRA?
No. You sign it and give it to your employer or payer.
What happens if I don't fill out TD1AB?
Your employer or payer deducts tax after allowing the basic personal amount only.
Can I claim TD1AB amounts with two employers?
Not twice. If you've already claimed them on another 2026 TD1AB, you tick the box and enter 0 on line 11.
