Nigeria Releases Guidelines for Transition to New Tax Laws Effective Since January

The Federal Government released guidelines on 18 June 2026 to govern the transition from Nigeria’s repealed tax laws to the new tax framework. The guidelines were issued by the Federal Ministry of Finance on Thursday, 18 June 2026. The new tax regime took effect on 1 January 2026 following the enactment of the Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Act, the Nigeria Tax Act, the Nigeria Tax Administration Act and the Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Act.

Liabilities, audits, investigations, disputes and enforcement actions relating to periods before 1 January 2026 will continue to be administered under the repealed tax laws. Tax returns covering accounting periods that ended before 1 January 2026 will be filed under the previous legal framework. Obligations arising from 1 January 2026 onward will be governed by the new tax laws.

Existing tax incentives and exemptions granted under repealed laws will be preserved until their expiration dates. New applications and pending requests for tax incentives will be considered under the provisions of the new tax laws. " Taiwo Oyedele described the Tax Acts 2025 as a significant milestone in the government’s fiscal reform agenda.

The guidelines are intended to apply uniformly across the Nigeria Revenue Service, state internal revenue services, the Federal Capital Territory Internal Revenue Service, local government revenue committees and tax practitioners. The government said the guidelines were developed to address practical issues arising from the transition and to ensure consistency in implementation across tax authorities.

The guidance also outlines how existing tax incentives, exemptions, development levies and record-keeping requirements will be treated under the new system.