The reminder was issued on Thursday in a statement by Dr. Ayodele Subair, executive chairman of LIRS, who emphasised that the requirement is mandated under the Nigeria Tax Administration Act 2025.

According to the directive, employers must submit detailed tax returns covering all emoluments and compensation paid to staff during the 2025 financial year. Returns are also expected to include payments made to service providers, vendors and consultants, along with proof of taxes deducted and remitted to the relevant tax authorities.

Dr. Subair warned that failure to comply with the filing deadline will attract statutory sanctions and administrative penalties as prescribed under the new tax law.

Section 14 of the Nigeria Tax Administration Act 2025 requires that annual tax returns be filed no later than January 31 each year, making this deadline a mandatory legal obligation for all employers of labour in the state.

To streamline compliance, LIRS has phased out all manual submissions. Employers are now required to file their returns exclusively online via the LIRS eTax portal, described by the agency as secure and accessible 24/7.

Dr. Subair urged organisations to ensure that the Tax Identification Number (TIN) of all employees is correctly recorded during the filing process.

Employers are advised to assist staff without a TIN to generate one promptly to prevent delays in submission.

He also reminded businesses that timely and accurate tax compliance is not only a legal duty under the Nigerian Constitution but also a key component of efficient fiscal planning and revenue tracking for Lagos State’s economic sustainability

In a statement available to Techeconomy, Mr. Ayodele Subair, executive chairman of LIRS, said that the reminder is for to all individual taxpayers, including self-employed individuals, those in the informal sector, and employees under the Pay-As-You-Earn (PAYE) scheme, to submit their Annual Tax Returns on or before March 31, 2025.

“This directive is in accordance with the Personal Income Tax Act (PITA) 2004 as amended”, said Mr. Subair who, emphasized “Under Section 41 of the Act, all taxable persons must submit a comprehensive return detailing their total income from all sources for the previous fiscal year (January 1st to December 31st 2024, in this case) to the relevant state tax authority within 90 days of the commencement of the new assessment year.”

The LIRS boss reiterated the importance of adhering to the deadline, urging taxpayers to fulfill their statutory obligations promptly to avoid penalties and other legal consequences.

He also highlighted that tax returns must be submitted exclusively through the LIRS eTax portal, accessible here.

The portal is designed to offer taxpayers convenience, security, and ease of compliance.

“In line with our commitment to simplifying the tax filing process, dedicated tax officers are available at our various tax offices to assist individuals with online registration and tax return submissions via the eTax portal,” stated Mr. Subair.