Meet Alice!
Alice just finished her 4-year nursing program!
οΏ½
She's now a Registered Nurse (RN)
working at a hospital οΏ½near Saskatoon.
οΏ½
Let's figure out how much she earns!
π³οΈWhat's Alice's Hourly Wage?
Entry-level RN hourly wage in Saskatchewan
$20
WHITE CARD
$35
GREEN CARD
$51
ORANGE CARD
Raise your card!
β Answer: $35/hour
$35/hour
GREEN CARD β
Entry-level RN wage in Saskatchewan (2025)
π Let's Calculate!
What We Know:
Hourly Wage: $35
Hours/Week: 40
Weeks/Year: 52
π SPEED CHALLENGE!
Annual Salary = Hourly Γ Hours Γ Weeks
= $35 Γ 40 Γ 52 = ?
$62,400
WHITE CARD
$72,800
GREEN CARD
Who calculated it first? Vote!
π Let's Calculate!
What We Know:
Hourly Wage: $35
Hours/Week: 40
Weeks/Year: 52
π SPEED CHALLENGE!
Annual Salary = Hourly Γ Hours Γ Weeks
= $35 Γ 40 Γ 52 = ?
$62,400
WHITE CARD
$72,800
GREEN CARD
π° Where Does Your Money Go?
Before you get your paycheck, some money goes to...
Federal Tax
Goes to the Government of Canada
Provincial Tax
Goes to Saskatchewan government
CPP
Canada Pension Plan (for retirement)
EI
Employment Insurance (if you lose your job)
Take-Home
What you actually receive! π΅
π³οΈ VOTE: Alice's Take-Home Pay?
Alice earns $72,800/year GROSS. After federal & provincial taxes, how much NET?
(We're ignoring CPP & EI for now)
~$41,000
WHITE CARD
~$57,000
GREEN CARD
~$64,000
ORANGE CARD
Raise your card!
β Answer:
$57,391
GREEN CARD β
That's about 84% of her gross income (β16% tax rate)
π Progressive Tax: The Big Idea
You don't pay the same rate on ALL your income!
π Progressive Tax: The Big Idea
You don't pay the same rate on ALL your income!
0%
$0 β $16,129
Basic Personal Amount (tax-free!)
π Progressive Tax: The Big Idea
You don't pay the same rate on ALL your income!
0%
$0 β $16,129
Basic Personal Amount (tax-free!)
15%
$16,129 β $57,375
First real bracket
π Progressive Tax: The Big Idea
You don't pay the same rate on ALL your income!
0%
$0 β $16,129
Basic Personal Amount (tax-free!)
15%
$16,129 β $57,375
First real bracket
20.5%
$57,375 β $114,750
Alice's top bracket
π Progressive Tax: The Big Idea
You don't pay the same rate on ALL your income!
0%
$0 β $16,129
Basic Personal Amount (tax-free!)
15%
$16,129 β $57,375
First real bracket
20.5%
$57,375 β $114,750
Alice's top bracket
26%+
$114,750+
Higher earners only
π‘ Key insight: A raise NEVER makes you take home LESS money!
π
Excel Worksheet
Let's see how the tax brackets work in a spreadsheet!
π― The Bottom Line
BEFORE TAXES (Gross)
Hourly Wage:
$35.00
Annual Salary:
$72,800
AFTER TAXES (Net)
Actual Hourly:
???
Net Annual:
$57,391
π³οΈ What's Alice's ACTUAL hourly wage after taxes?
$27.59 (White)
$28.19 (Green)
$31.20 (Orange)
π― The Bottom Line
BEFORE TAXES (Gross)
Hourly Wage:
$35.00
Annual Salary:
$72,800
AFTER TAXES (Net)
Actual Hourly:
???
Net Annual:
$57,391
π³οΈ What's Alice's ACTUAL hourly wage after taxes?
$27.59 (White) β
Key Takeaways
Income is taxed
A part of your money goes to the country and the province
Taxes are a good expense
They are used for everyoneβs well-being
Tax is progressive
Higher salaries are taxed more on every extra dollar earned
Calculations are useful
Itβs good to have an idea in advance what you will actually bring home (net income)