For years, getting a Tax Identification Number in Nigeria meant a separate application, often after your business was already registered and operating. Since January 2026, that's changed for most people, and a lot of the confusion floating around online right now is really about the fact that the process people remember no longer exists.
Here's what actually happens now, and how to get your number without paying anyone for something that's free.
What changed on 1 January 2026
Nigeria's tax authorities unified previously separate TINs, issued by the old FIRS, the Joint Tax Board, and individual state tax authorities, into a single 13-digit Tax ID. If you already had a TIN before this date, it remains valid. If you're a registered business, the bigger change is this: your CAC registration number, your RC number for a limited company or your BN number for a business name, is now directly linked to your Tax ID under the harmonised system.
If your business is CAC-registered, you very likely already have a Tax ID. You don't need to apply for a new one. What you need to do is retrieve it.
Retrieval, not application
For most registered businesses, getting your Tax ID is now a retrieval, not a fresh application:
- Go to the official Tax ID retrieval portal.
- Enter your CAC registration number (your RC or BN number).
- Select "Retrieve Tax ID."
- Your 13-digit Tax ID displays on screen.
That's the entire process for a business that's already properly registered with the CAC. There's no form to fill beyond your registration number, no document upload, and critically, no fee.
The part that costs people money for nothing
This is where things go wrong for a lot of business owners. Because the old process involved an application, a market has grown up around "helping" people get a TIN, sometimes charging a real fee for what is now a free, self-service lookup.
Retrieving a Tax ID you're already entitled to is a free government service. If someone quotes you a fee specifically for "TIN registration" and your business is already CAC-registered, ask what exactly they're charging for before you pay it.
If you genuinely don't have a Tax ID yet, because you're an individual without a registered business, or your registration predates the systems now feeding into the unified database, the underlying application process still exists and may need to go through the appropriate tax office. But for the large majority of people asking "how do I get my TIN" in 2026, the honest answer is that you're not applying for anything new. You're looking up a number that already exists.
Why this matters beyond just having the number
Your Tax ID isn't paperwork you file away and forget. It's the reference point for:
- Filing VAT returns, if your business is VAT-registered
- Requesting a Tax Clearance Certificate
- Opening or maintaining certain categories of corporate bank accounts
- Payroll-related filings, where applicable
- Any correspondence with tax authorities about your business
If you can't locate your Tax ID and the retrieval lookup isn't returning a result against your CAC number, that's usually a sign of a mismatch somewhere in your registration details, not a sign that you need to start a fresh application. That mismatch is worth resolving directly rather than guessing your way around it.
I registered my business years ago. Do I need to do anything for the new Tax ID system?
In most cases, no separate action is needed, your existing registration should already be linked. It's worth doing the retrieval lookup once to confirm your Tax ID displays correctly against your CAC number, rather than assuming it's fine.
Can I still get a personal TIN if I'm not registering a business?
Yes, individuals without a registered business can still obtain a Tax ID through the appropriate application channel. It's a separate path from the CAC-linked retrieval process described above.
What if the retrieval portal doesn't find my Tax ID?
This usually points to a discrepancy between your CAC record and the tax database rather than a missing Tax ID entirely. It's worth having someone confirm and correct the mismatch directly rather than filing a fresh application, which can create duplicate records.
Getting the number right the first time
The unified Tax ID system is a genuine simplification, but "simpler" only helps if you know it applies to you. If you're not sure whether you already have a Tax ID, whether it's correctly linked to your CAC registration, or what to do if the retrieval lookup comes back empty, that's a five-minute problem to resolve with the right guidance and a much longer one to untangle after a failed VAT filing. Awal Global Consults handles Tax ID retrieval and validation as part of getting your business's tax position properly set up.
Need help with this?
Awal Global Consults handles TIN retrieval, validation, and every tax filing that follows it, so you're not chasing three different portals for one number.