Nigeria

An individual is Nigerian tax resident if domiciled in Nigeria, maintains a permanent home or place of habitual abode there, spends at least 183 days in Nigeria within any 12-month period, has substantial economic or immediate family ties there, or serves as a Nigerian diplomat abroad; non-resident status requires meeting none of these conditions.

The tax year runs 1 January to 31 December. Individual returns are due within 90 days of the fiscal year end, required even of taxpayers earning at or below minimum wage; employers must file a return of all employee emoluments by 31 January each year, and PAYE tax is remitted by the 10th of the month following payment.

Deductible items include National Housing Fund and National Health Insurance Scheme contributions, life assurance premiums, national pension scheme contributions, and mortgage interest on an owner-occupied home. A rent relief of the lower of NGN 500,000 or 20% of annual rent paid is available in place of the former consolidated relief allowance; there is no general standard deduction.

Beyond the deductions and credits already available, Nigeria provides no other significant tax credits or incentives for individuals.

VAT-registered taxable persons must file VAT returns and remit VAT by the 21st day of the month following the transaction, whether or not any taxable activity took place that month. VAT withheld at source by appointed withholding agents (including government bodies) is remitted separately, by the 14th day of the following month.

Nigeria zero-rates goods and services purchased by diplomats, goods for humanitarian donor-funded projects, basic food items, medical and pharmaceutical products, books and educational materials, and exported services; plant and machinery used in export processing zones or free trade zones are VAT-exempt.

Nigeria's Tax Act 2025 exempts gains on disposing of an individual's dwelling house and up to one acre of adjoining non-commercial land, once in a lifetime; personal chattels where the disposal consideration does not exceed NGN 5,000,000 or three times the annual national minimum wage, whichever is higher; up to two motor vehicles used solely for private or non-profit purposes per year; and disposals by way of gift of assets the disposer had themselves acquired by gift, other than by inheritance.