The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has disclosed that it will temporarily deactivate its IT platforms, noting that all digital applications and related infrastructure will be unavailable from Friday, November 28, to Sunday, November 30, 2025.
According to the agency, “there will be an FIRS IT services downtime,” adding an apology to taxpayers and stakeholders for the inconvenience that the temporary suspension of its systems may cause.
The notice comes shortly after an FIRS webinar that addressed upcoming corporate income tax adjustments for small businesses. In the virtual session, titled Income Taxes: Expected Changes in 2026 and How to Stay Compliant, FIRS representatives clarified that although small companies will not remit corporate income tax beginning in 2026, they will still be required to calculate taxable income and submit self-assessment returns.
Deputy Director Kehinde Kajesomo explained: “Starting in 2026, small companies will be taxable, but at a zero percent rate. Previously, they were completely exempt, but the new framework makes them liable to tax, even though the payable amount remains zero. Firms will still compute taxable profits and file their returns, but the assessed tax will be zero.”
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Under the revised framework, small companies are classified as entities with annual revenue not exceeding N50 million and fixed assets capped at N250 million. These companies will also face a zero percent capital gains tax rate, replacing the former 10 percent charge.
In contrast, multinational corporations with worldwide revenue above €750 million, as well as domestic firms with turnover surpassing N50 billion, will be subjected to a minimum effective tax rate of 15 percent, in line with the Additional Tax Rule (ATR) under Section 57 of the Nigerian Tax Act.
FIRS further introduced a new 4 percent Development Levy on accessible profits, which will replace prior levies including the Tertiary Education Tax, IT Levy, Police Trust Fund Levy, and NASENI Levy. The planned IT systems downtime is expected to facilitate the implementation of these regulatory modifications and support broader technological upgrades.
