Methodology

Primary source

All salary data on FedPay.ca originates from collective agreements published by the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS). These agreements are negotiated between Treasury Board and bargaining agents (PSAC, PIPSC, CAPE, ACFO, AJC, and others) and are public documents. No proprietary or leaked information is used. A full list of source agreements with direct links is on the sources page.

Data pipeline

1. Collection. When TBS publishes a new or revised rates-of-pay schedule for a classification group, the HTML tables and PDF schedules are downloaded from canada.ca.
2. Extraction. Automated scripts parse the rates tables, extracting each step, each effective date, and each dollar amount. Extraction is deterministic and re-runnable against the same source to produce identical output.
3. Normalization. Raw data is normalized into a single schema: classification code → level → step → rate by effective date. Hourly rates are preserved separately from annual rates.
4. Validation. Every extracted number is spot-checked against the source HTML/PDF. Group-level totals, retroactivity periods, and step counts are verified to match the published agreement.
5. Publication. Validated data is committed to the site source code and deployed.

Update cadence

Salary tables are updated when Treasury Board publishes a new collective agreement or amends an existing one. TBS typically publishes new rates within weeks of ratification. FedPay.ca tracks TBS publications and updates within one week of a new rates schedule appearing on canada.ca.

Tax brackets, CPP/CPP2 contribution rates, EI premiums, and public service pension contribution rates in the take-home pay calculator are updated annually in January based on Canada Revenue Agency, Service Canada, and Treasury Board publications for the new tax year.

Consumer Price Index (CPI) data for the raise-vs-inflation comparison is sourced from Statistics Canada and updated monthly when new CPI releases are published.

Historical coverage

Historical salary data covers the period from 2017 to present for most classifications. Earlier periods are included where available in current published agreements. When an agreement includes retroactive rates, each effective date is stored as a separate entry so users can see pay progression rather than only the current rate.

Take-home pay calculator

The take-home calculator applies the following deductions in order:

• Federal income tax (using current CRA brackets)
• Provincial or territorial income tax (using current provincial brackets)
• Quebec abatement (16.5% federal tax reduction) for Quebec residents
• CPP and CPP2 contributions (or QPP/QPIP for Quebec)
• EI premiums (with Quebec-specific reduction for QPIP participants)
• Public Service Pension Plan contributions at Group 1 or Group 2 rates (user-selectable)

The calculator does not include union dues, health or dental premiums, garnishments, or voluntary deductions (RRSP, stock, charity). These vary by individual and department. Calculator output is a close approximation; actual pay stubs may differ slightly due to rounding, pay-period-specific adjustments, and departmental deductions.

Corrections and errata

If you find a discrepancy between FedPay.ca and the official Treasury Board rate for your classification, please report it. Include the classification, level, and effective date. Reported errors are typically investigated and corrected within 24 hours.

FedPay.ca does not modify source data to smooth out anomalies. If the published agreement contains an error, the extracted data will reflect that error until TBS publishes a correction.

Disclaimer