FIRS warns firms to comply with its e-invoicing system by November 1, 2025, stressing no further deadline extensions after the three-month grace

FIRS e-invoicing system has come under the spotlight as the Federal Inland Revenue Service warned large corporations against delaying compliance, insisting that the three-month extension granted will be the last.

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The platform, which went live on August 1, 2025, already has more than 1,000 major companies — including MTN Nigeria, Huawei, and IHS — integrated. This represents only about 20 percent of the over 4,000 large taxpayers targeted.

The extension shifted full enforcement from August 1 to November 1, 2025. But officials stressed that no further grace will be given.

“This is not an opportunity to delay; it is a chance for taxpayers to test transmissions and address readiness issues before enforcement,” said Emmanuel Eze, Director of Change Management, representing the Chief of Staff to the FIRS Chairman.

Project Manager Mohammed Bawa described the e-invoicing system as a game-changer for closing Nigeria’s tax gaps, stressing that every business transaction must be tracked from inception to reduce under-declaration, avoidance, and evasion.

He warned that companies not onboarded by November would be unable to transact formally.

FIRS Acting Director of Tax Automation, Mike Adoga, assured businesses that all captured data would remain confidential under the Nigeria Data Protection Act. He added that the system would reduce audit disputes by ensuring real-time tax assessment.

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With Nigeria’s tax-to-GDP ratio still at 10 percent — one of the lowest globally — officials say the FIRS e-invoicing system is crucial to boosting revenue, widening the tax net, and formalizing informal businesses.