LIRS pushes ahead deadline for filing of annual returns till February

By Elegbede Abiodun

The Lagos State Internal Revenue Service (LIRS) has pushed forward the deadline for filing of employers’ annual tax returns by one week, from February 1 to February 7, 2026.

In a statement issued on Friday, and signed by Head, Corporate Communications, LIRS Monsurat Amasa-Oyelude, on behalf of the Executive Chairman of LIRS, Dr. Ayodele Subair, explained that the statutory deadline for filing of employers’ annual tax returns is January 31, every year.

He stated that the extension is intended to provide employers with additional time to complete and submit accurate tax returns.

Subair stated that employers must give priority to the timely filing of their annual returns, noting that compliance should be embedded as a routine business practice.

He also reiterated that electronic filing through the LIRS eTax platform remains the only approved method for submitting annual returns, as manual filings have been completely phased out. Employers are therefore required to file their returns exclusively through the LIRS eTax portal: https://etax.lirs.net.

Describing the platform as secure, user-friendly, and accessible 24/7, Subair advised employers to ensure that the TaxID (Tax Identification Number) of all employees is correctly captured in their submissions.