Do you pass both small-company tests?
Classification
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Turnover test
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Fixed-asset test
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CIT rate if small
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A status check, not a tax bill
This tool answers one binary question: is your company small for Companies Income Tax purposes, or is it large? It does not compute the tax you owe. It looks at two numbers, your annual turnover and your total fixed assets, and tells you which side of the small-company line each one falls on. The reason that matters is the prize attached to passing. The reform that took effect for 2026 moved to a sharp two-tier structure, and a company that clears both tests sits at the 0 percent Companies Income Tax rate this calculator applies and is also lifted out of the 4 percent Development Levy.
Both gates, not either gate
The single most important rule is that the two tests are joined by AND, never by OR. You must satisfy both at once. The turnover gate, as modelled here, sits at NGN 50 million of annual gross turnover. The fixed-asset gate sits at NGN 250 million of total fixed assets. Pass the turnover test but breach the asset ceiling and you are large. Stay light on assets but cross the turnover ceiling and you are large. There is no partial credit and no blended outcome, which is exactly why the calculator reports each test separately so you can see which one is doing the damage.
Reading the default scenario
The form opens with a turnover of NGN 90 million and fixed assets of NGN 200 million. The assets sit comfortably under their ceiling, but the turnover is well above the NGN 50 million line, so that single failure makes the company large. Walk it through gate by gate.
| Test | Your figure | Ceiling | Result |
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The chart plots turnover against the turnover ceiling, so you can see at a glance how far inside or outside the small-company band your figures sit.
The edge that catches founders out
The trap is a single naira over a ceiling. Picture a company growing turnover to NGN 52 million while its assets stay at a modest NGN 30 million. It now fails the turnover test, and failing one test is enough. The classification flips to large, and a large company is exposed to the 30 percent Companies Income Tax rate that the system currently applies plus the 4 percent Development Levy on assessable profits. So a small rise in sales can trigger a tax status that costs far more than the extra revenue, which is why owners hovering near NGN 50 million should plan the timing of large invoices and asset purchases with real care.
One practical note on measurement. Turnover is gross income before expenses, not profit, so a low-margin trader can breach the line while barely breaking even. Total fixed assets means the carrying value of property, plant, and equipment, so a single big plant or building purchase can quietly push a comfortable company over the asset gate. Because this calculator carries the reform thresholds rather than certifying them, confirm the current caps and the precise definitions with the FIRS, reconstituted as the Nigeria Revenue Service under the 2025 reform, before you rely on a status for filing.
If I am small, do I still file a CIT return?
Yes. A 0 percent rate is not the same as no obligation. A small company is still expected to register, keep proper books, and file its annual Companies Income Tax return showing how it qualified. The exemption applies to the tax payable, not to the filing duty, and the revenue service can ask you to demonstrate that both the turnover and the asset tests were met for the year in question.
What happened to the old 20 percent medium tier?
The previous regime had three bands, with a 20 percent rate for medium-sized companies. The 2025 reform abolished that middle tier. From 2026 the structure this calculator models is binary: small at 0 percent or large at the full rate. There is no longer an intermediate category, so a company that was paying 20 percent under the old rules will now find itself in one of the two extremes depending on these two tests.