FIRS Begins Electronic Invoicing, Promises Efficiency

By: Aremu Toyeebaht

The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has officially rolled out a national electronic invoicing (e-invoicing) solution aimed at transforming how businesses in Nigeria pay taxes, promising faster, easier, and more transparent compliance.

Executive Chairman of FIRS, Dr. Zacch Adedeji, announced the development in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Dare Adekanmbi, in Abuja on Sunday. He revealed that the platform went live on August 1, 2025, following a successful pilot phase launched in November 2024.

According to Adedeji, the first phase of the rollout targets large taxpayers—companies with annual turnovers of ₦5 billion or more. “In less than two weeks of the initiative going live, no fewer than 1,000 companies, representing 20 per cent of over 5,000 eligible firms, have so far embraced the solution and commenced integration with FIRS MBS platform. The remaining large taxpayers are expected to come onboard on or before November 1, which is the deadline for all the firms in the category to finalise their onboarding and integration processes,” he said.

He confirmed that MTN Nigeria was the first company to transmit live e-invoices to FIRS, officially launching the regime. Huawei Nigeria and IHS Nigeria have completed test transmissions and are preparing to go live in the coming days.

Adedeji explained that service providers have been integrated into the system in collaboration with the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), serving as both System Integrators and Access Point Providers. “These providers will facilitate the onboarding, integration, and invoice transmission processes for taxpayers,” he said.

Commending large taxpayers, tax consultants, and service providers for their cooperation, Adedeji noted that the service has extended the onboarding deadline by three months for companies facing operational constraints.
“We also acknowledge the genuine efforts of many taxpayers who strove to meet the Aug. 1 deadline but encountered operational constraints. In the spirit of encouraging voluntary compliance, the FIRS management has graciously approved a three-month extension of the deadline, with the new deadline now set for Nov. 1. The FIRS e-Invoicing implementation team will continue to provide support through stakeholder engagements, including webinars, workshops and town hall meetings, to ensure a seamless transition for all large taxpayers,” he said.

The e-invoicing solution, part of FIRS’s Electronic Fiscal System (EFS), is designed to give real-time visibility into commercial transactions and guarantee the authenticity, accuracy, and completeness of invoices. The phased rollout will start with large taxpayers before expanding to medium-sized and emerging businesses.