FIRS to Shut Down IT Systems for Three Days to Carry Out Maintenance

The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has announced a temporary shutdown of its information technology (IT) systems, affecting all applications and infrastructure.

According to a notice issued on Thursday, the downtime will run from Friday, November 28, to Sunday, November 30, 2025.

“The general public should note that there will be an FIRS IT services downtime,” the FIRS stated.

“The shutdown of applications and IT infrastructure will commence on 28th November and end on 30th November, 2025. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.” 

Recent tax webinar 

The announcement comes just two days after FIRS hosted a webinar to clarify upcoming changes in corporate income tax obligations for small companies.

The session, titled “Income Taxes: Expected Changes in 2026 and How to Stay Compliant”, highlighted the distinction between tax exemption and zero percent liability.

Clarification on small company tax status 

Deputy Director at FIRS, Kehinde Kajesomo, explained that while small companies will not pay corporate income tax from 2026, they will still be required to compute taxable income and file self-assessment returns.

“From 2026, small companies will pay tax, but at zero per cent,” Kajesomo said. “Before, they were exempt from tax, but now they are liable to tax, though at zero percent. What this means is that they will undergo the process of computing their taxable profits and file returns with the tax authority, but the tax payable will be zero.” 

The clarification underscores FIRS’s focus on ensuring compliance and accurate reporting, even for companies with no tax liability. The upcoming IT downtime is expected to be part of ongoing system upgrades to support these regulatory changes.

What you should know 

The definition of small companies has been revised. Firms with an annual turnover of up to N50 million and fixed assets not exceeding N250 million now qualify as small companies.

Such companies will pay zero percent tax, including on capital gains. Previously, they were subject to a 10 per cent capital gains tax.

A minimum effective tax rate of 15 percent has been introduced for:

Multinational enterprises (MNEs) with global turnover above €750 million, while local companies with a turnover exceeding N50 billion.

These firms will be subject to the Additional Tax Rule (ATR) under Section 57 of the Nigerian Tax Act.

In addition, a new Development Levy of 4 percent on accessible profits will replace existing levies such as the Tertiary Education Tax, IT Levy, Police Trust Fund Levy, and NASENI Levy.