Nigeria · NRS VAT Return
Nigeria VAT Return — box-by-box guide
Nigeria's VAT rate was raised from 5% to 7.5% under the Finance Act 2019, effective February 2020. Nigeria operates a taxable-turnover registration threshold rather than requiring every business to register: published figures for that threshold conflict, so confirm the one that applies to you with the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS). Registered businesses file monthly returns by the 21st of the following month. HelloBooks applies the correct 7.5% rate, flags exempt items automatically, and pre-populates the NRS VAT Return from your ledger transactions.
NRS VAT Return — box reference
| Box | Label | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Box 1 | Total value of taxable supplies (7.5%) | Total value of goods and services supplied that are subject to 7.5% VAT, net of VAT. Includes all domestic taxable sales other than zero-rated or exempt items. |
| Box 2 | VAT output (7.5%) | VAT charged on taxable supplies — Box 1 × 7.5%. This is the VAT collected from customers and remittable to the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS). |
| Box 3 | Zero-rated supplies | Exports of goods and qualifying international services taxable at 0% under the VAT Act. No output VAT arises; input VAT on related costs is recoverable. |
| Box 4 | Exempt supplies | Supplies specifically exempt under the First Schedule to the VAT Act — including basic food items (rice, bread, vegetables, fruit, eggs, fish, meat), books, newspapers, baby products (diapers, formula), life-saving medicines, and residential accommodation. |
| Box 5 | Total value of taxable purchases | Total value of purchases on which 7.5% Nigerian VAT was charged by suppliers. Basis for computing recoverable input VAT. |
| Box 6 | Input VAT recoverable | VAT paid on business purchases that can be offset against output VAT. Under the Nigerian VAT framework, input credit is allowed only on VAT paid on goods and services used in generating taxable supplies. |
| Net VAT | Net VAT remittable | Box 2 minus Box 6. The net amount is remitted to the NRS by the 21st of the following month. Nigeria does not provide VAT refunds for excess input credits in most cases — excess credits carry forward. |
Key facts for Nigeria VAT
- Standard rate
- 7.5% (raised from 5% — Finance Act 2019, effective February 2020)
- Zero rate
- 0% — exports and qualifying international services
- Key exemptions
- Basic food, books, baby products, medicines, residential accommodation
- Filing frequency
- Monthly
- Deadline
- 21st of the month following the tax period
- Registration threshold
- A taxable-turnover threshold set by statute and administered by the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS) — published figures conflict, so confirm the threshold that applies to you with the NRS
- Filing portal
- NRS Rev360 (nrs.gov.ng) — replaced FIRS TaxPro Max in 2026
- Governing authority
- Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS), formerly FIRS
- Governing law
- Value Added Tax Act Cap. V1, LFN 2004 (as amended)
Page last reviewed: 2026-06-16.