Free tool · 2026 tax rates

What will I earn as an apprentice?

Apprentices earn a share of the journeyperson rate that rises with each period. Pick your trade and province: where the law sets a minimum, we fill it in with its source. See each step’s hourly rate and a year after tax.

TradeProvince or territory

Journeyperson rate ($/h)Hours you work in a year

Count only the hours you work for your employer; leave out your weeks in school. Full time all year is about 2,000 hours.

The legal minimum in Alberta: Apprentices must be paid at least 50 %, 60 %, 70 % and 80 % of the wage of the lowest-paid electrician journeyperson at the same employer, in periods 1 to 4.

Use my agreement’s percentages instead (many pay more than the minimum)

Each step, and a year at that rate

A year is 1,800 hours at the step’s rate, after 2026 federal and provincial tax and contributions for someone living in Alberta.

Step	Share	Hourly	Year, gross	Year, after tax
Period 1	50 %	$22.50	$40,500	$33,693
Period 2	60 %	$27.00	$48,600	$39,532
Period 3	70 %	$31.50	$56,700	$45,371
Period 4	80 %	$36.00	$64,800	$50,782
Journeyperson	100 %	$45.00	$81,000	$61,365

Government of Alberta, Tradesecrets: Electrician

How to become a construction electrician in Alberta Find apprenticeship jobs that show their pay

How it’s calculated

Each step’s rate is its percentage of the journeyperson rate you enter. Where a province sets a minimum by law for this trade, we show it with its source; employers and collective agreements can pay more. Each law also says which journeyperson rate it counts from, for example the lowest-paid journeyperson at the same employer in Alberta.

Tax is the 2026 annual estimate for a single employment income (federal and provincial tax, CPP/QPP, EI, QPIP). Employment Insurance during school, grants, vacation pay and union dues aren’t included.