Federal Revenue Service Dismisses Physical Tax ID Card Claims, Says National Identification Number Sufficient

The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has dispelled claims that Nigerians are required to obtain a physical tax identification card, clarifying that the National Identification Number (NIN) already functions as an individual’s tax ID.

The clarification was provided in a public sensitisation video released on Monday by Aderonke Atoyebi, Technical Assistant on Broadcast Media to the Executive Chairman of FIRS.

She explained that the intervention became necessary in response to growing misinformation surrounding the implementation of the Nigerian Tax Administration Act (NTAA).

The awareness video forms part of FIRS’ ongoing campaign to educate the public on the tax reform laws scheduled to take effect in January.

Atoyebi noted that the use of tax identification numbers is not a recent development, stressing that the requirement has been in place since the Finance Act of 2019 and has now been further reinforced under the NTAA.

According to her, the new tax ID framework consolidates identifiers previously issued by both the FIRS and state internal revenue services into a single, unified system. She explained that for individuals, the NIN automatically serves as the tax ID, while registered companies are identified using their Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) registration numbers.

She emphasised that no physical card is required, urging the public to disregard rumours suggesting otherwise. “The tax ID is simply a unique number directly tied to your identity,” she said.

Atoyebi added that the harmonised system is designed to make taxpayer identification easier, eliminate duplication, block avenues for tax evasion and promote fairness in the tax system. She said it also ensures that only those who earn taxable income are required to pay, while safeguarding low-income earners who fall outside the tax net.

Her comments followed reports that some commercial banks had asked customers to link their bank accounts to their NINs or tax identification numbers ahead of the rollout of the new tax laws.

The reports claimed that banks informed customers that all accounts must be connected to a tax ID before 2026 in line with the new legal provisions, and that customers without a tax ID would need to link their accounts using their NIN.