The Lagos State Internal Revenue Service (LIRS) has announced a two-week extension for the filing of individual annual income tax returns, pushing the deadline from April 1 to April 14, 2026.

The extension comes amid confusion among taxpayers over the initial cutoff date. The announcement was made in a statement issued on Monday by the Executive Chairman of LIRS, Dr Ayodele Subair, who explained that the statutory deadline for filing individual annual tax returns is March 31 every year.

Dr Subair described the extension as a measure to support accurate compliance. While March 31 remains the statutory deadline, the extension is a one-off measure to ease compliance. (Vanguard News) He urged residents not to treat the reprieve as an excuse for complacency, stressing that compliance should become a routine personal practice for all taxpayers.

See Also: Media buyers have to be more intentional with bookkeeping under the new tax reforms – Brenda Nwagwu

The filing requirement applies to all taxable persons, including self-employed individuals, business owners, professionals, employees under the pay-as-you-earn (PAYE) scheme, and persons in the informal sector.

Electronic filing through the LIRS eTax platform remains the only approved method for submitting annual returns, as manual filings have been completely phased out. Individuals are required to file their returns exclusively through the LIRS eTax portal at etax.lirs.net.

Dr Subair described the platform as secure, user-friendly, and accessible 24/7, and advised individuals to ensure that their Tax Identification Number (TIN) is correctly captured in their submissions.

Taxpayers requiring assistance may visit any LIRS office across the state for guidance on the filing process.