Penalties, interest and deadlines

Most Nigerian tax penalties are not for getting a number wrong. They are for being late — and in 2026 they got a great deal heavier.

Every figure on this page is read from the same configuration the calculators use — none of it is typed into the page. If a number here is wrong, the calculators are wrong too, and a changelog entry will record the correction.

Late filing and late payment

Two separate defaults with two separate penalties. They stack.

Penalties
	2026 new regime	2025 old regime
Late filing — first month of default	₦100,000	₦25,000
Late filing — each subsequent monthIt accrues monthly. Six months late costs the first month plus five more.	₦50,000	₦5,000
Late payment — share of the tax due	10%	10%

Old-regime penalties were materially lower: ₦25,000 for the first month of default and ₦5,000 for each month thereafter.

Interest

Charged on tax paid late, on top of the late-payment penalty.

Interest basis
Component	Value
Basis	CBN Monetary Policy Rate plus a spread
CBN Monetary Policy Rate	26.5%
Spread over MPR	0%
Effective interest rate as modelled	26.5%

MPR 26.5%, verified 2026-01-15 — confirm current rate

The MPR is not a statutory figure — it moves at Monetary Policy Committee meetings, so any interest figure carries the date we last checked it. With the spread defaulted to 0%, every interest number we show is a floor, not a prediction.

Withholding tax penalties

Harsher than the general regime, and asymmetric on purpose.

WHT penalties
	2026 new regime	2025 old regime
Failure to deductAnd you still owe the deduction itself.	40%	10%
Failure to remit what you deducted	10%	10%

Not deducting is treated as 4 times worse than deducting and remitting late. See the WHT rate reference.

Deadlines

What triggers the penalties above. The full year is in your filing calendar.

Every month
Obligation	Due	Who
PAYE remittanceRemit PAYE deducted from employees in the previous month to the relevant SIRS.	10th of the following month	employer
VAT withheld at source — remittanceRemit VAT withheld from suppliers in the previous month.	14th of the following month	company, vatRegistered
VAT return and paymentFile the VAT return for the previous month and pay any net VAT due.	21st of the following month	vatRegistered, company, selfEmployed
Federal WHT remittanceRemit WHT deducted on behalf of companies and non-residents to the NRS.	21st of the following month	company, employer
State WHT remittanceRemit WHT deducted from individuals and unincorporated bodies to the relevant SIRS.	30th of the following month	company, employer

Every year
Obligation	Due	Who
Employer annual PAYE returnFile the annual return of emoluments and PAYE deducted for all employees for the previous year.	31 January	employer
Individual income tax returnFile your personal income tax return for the previous year with the SIRS of your state of residence.	31 March	employee, selfEmployed

State extensions
State	Rule	Extended to
Lagos	Individual income tax returnLagos extended the 2026 filing deadline to 14 April. This was a one-off — the 31 March statutory date applies again from 2027 unless Lagos extends it again.	14 April
Federal Capital Territory	Individual income tax returnFCT-IRS extended the 2026 filing deadline to 30 April. This was a one-off — the 31 March statutory date applies again from 2027 unless the FCT-IRS extends it again.	30 April

Tied to your financial year-end
Obligation	Due	Who
Companies income tax returnFile the CIT self-assessment return and audited accounts within six months of the financial year-end.	6 months after year-end	company

A newly incorporated company gets 18 months from incorporation for its first return — the one deadline that is usually later than people fear.

Other penalties

Regime-specific charges that sit outside the general filing and payment rules.

E-invoicing
Default	Penalty
Denying access to fiscalisation technology — first day	₦1,000,000
Denying access — each subsequent day	₦10,000

Transfer pricing
Default	Penalty
Initial penalty	₦10,000,000
Each day the default continues	₦10,000

Tools that use these rates

Penalty & interest estimator — what being late is costing you.
Tax calendar / deadline tracker — your twelve months, exportable.
Deadline reminder & PIT by state — your date and your authority.
Guide: your filing calendar

Where these rates come from

Nigeria Tax Administration Act 2025, penalty and interest provisions — verified 15 January 2026Interest runs at MPR plus a spread that awaits NRS guidance. With the spread defaulted to 0, the interest figure is a floor.
FIRS Establishment Act 2007, penalty provisions — verified 15 January 2026Old-regime penalties were materially lower: ₦25,000 for the first month of default and ₦5,000 for each month thereafter.
CBN Monetary Policy Committee communiqué — verified 15 January 2026The MPR moves at MPC meetings and is not a statutory figure. The spread applied over MPR for late-payment interest awaits NRS guidance; it defaults to 0, so interest figures are indicative and understate the likely charge.
NTAA 2025, fiscalisation technology access provisions — verified 15 January 2026
Income Tax (Transfer Pricing) Regulations 2018 — verified 15 January 2026PENDING_GUIDANCE: whether these Regulations survive the NTA repeal-and-savings schedule should be confirmed against the gazette.

A rate reference is not tax advice, and a rate on its own does not tell you your position. Read the disclaimer, and confirm anything load-bearing against the gazette before acting on it.