Living in Quebec: A Money Guide (2026)

Quebec runs more of its own financial system than any other province. You file a separate Quebec tax return, contribute to the Quebec Pension Plan instead of the CPP, get parental benefits from QPIP instead of EI, and receive family benefits from Retraite Québec rather than through CRA. Its provincial income tax helps pay for programs other provinces run differently or not at all, such as reduced-contribution child care. This guide covers what living in Quebec means for taxes, benefits, housing, insurance and pay; for the move itself, see the moving provinces guide.

Income tax and the separate return

Quebec residents file a separate Quebec return with Revenu Québec, and their federal tax is reduced by the refundable Quebec abatement of 16.5% of basic federal tax; someone with a business establishment outside Quebec calculates it on Form T2203. A single employee earning $60,000 in Quebec pays about $10,074 in federal and Quebec income tax, after the abatement, and takes home $45,329 after QPP, EI and QPIP (2026 rates). Quebec’s first bracket is 14%; the full schedule is on Quebec income tax rates, and the lowest-tax provinces compares Quebec’s total with other provinces'.

QPP, EI and QPIP on your pay

Quebec workers contribute 6.30% of pensionable earnings to the QPP, against 5.95% for the CPP elsewhere, and both plans’ contributions count toward a single pension if you work in more than one province; the EI and CPP page explains the switch. Because QPIP replaces EI parental benefits, Quebec employees pay a lower EI rate (1.30% in 2026) plus a QPIP premium of 0.43% on earnings up to $103,000.

Parental benefits: QPIP

New parents in Quebec choose between QPIP’s Basic Plan, which pays maternity benefits for 18 weeks at 70% of average weekly earnings, and its Special Plan, which pays a higher percentage for fewer weeks; self-employed parents are covered too. The QPIP guide compares the plans with EI.

Sales tax: QST

Quebec charges the 9.975% Quebec sales tax on top of the 5% GST, for 14.975% on most purchases; sales tax in Quebec covers the details.

Quebec benefits and credits

Government benefits by province compares Quebec’s programs with other provinces'.

Child care

In Quebec, a child admitted to a subsidized child care centre costs the reduced contribution of $9.65 a day in 2026, indexed every January 1, for a parent who lives in Quebec with an eligible status such as citizen or permanent resident; non-subsidized centres set their own rates, which are generally higher. Subsidized spaces are limited, so many families wait for one, and families paying at a non-subsidized centre can claim Quebec’s refundable child care tax credit.

Health and drug coverage

RAMQ runs the public health insurance plan and the public prescription drug plan. Everyone in Quebec must have prescription drug coverage: through a private group plan when one is available to you, otherwise through the RAMQ plan, whose premium is collected on the Quebec tax return. People moving to Quebec from another province should check with the RAMQ how their coverage carries over; the moving provinces guide explains how the province you leave covers the gap.

Housing and leases

The Montreal, Quebec City and Gatineau market pages track home prices, and the Montreal and Quebec City cost-of-living pages cover rent. Buyers pay a transfer duty to the municipality (often called the welcome tax), which the land transfer tax calculator works out.

Quebec’s lease rules differ from other provinces’. A Quebec lease renews automatically at its term. A landlord who wants to change the rent or another condition of a 12-month lease gives notice three to six months before the end, and a tenant who hasn't received such a notice and doesn't want to renew gives a notice of non-renewal within the same time limits; during the term, a tenant can end a lease only by agreement or in the specific situations the Civil Code lists. Disputes go to the Tribunal administratif du logement; tenant rights in Quebec covers rent increases and deposits.

Car insurance: SAAQ and private insurers

Quebec splits car insurance in two. Bodily injury is covered by the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ), funded through contributions included in your driver’s licence and registration fees, including $66.01 in a passenger vehicle’s registration renewal. Property damage liability, with a minimum of $50,000, plus optional collision and comprehensive coverage, is sold by private insurers. The Groupement des assureurs automobiles (GAA) put the average private premium for a passenger vehicle at $1,067 in 2025; because it leaves out bodily injury, it can’t be compared directly with other provinces’ averages. Car insurance in Quebec has the details.

Wages and work rules

Since May 1, 2026, the general minimum wage in Quebec has been $16.60 an hour, which puts it fifth-highest among the provinces (every province’s rate is on minimum wage in Canada). Leave, overtime and vacation fall under Quebec’s Act respecting labour standards. In Quebec, a worker with 3 months or more of uninterrupted service is paid for the first 2 days of absence in a calendar year, one pool shared by illness, family or caregiving obligations, organ or tissue donation, and domestic or sexual violence. For overtime pay and vacation entitlements, see overtime pay rules and vacation pay.

Related reading

• Money guide to Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia.
• Ottawa vs Montreal cost of living.
• Cost of raising a child in Canada.
• Settling in Canada: money basics for newcomers.