The Federal Government has announced a major policy shift that will end the use of physical cash receipts for all payments made to Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) starting January 1, 2026, as part of sweeping reforms to modernise Nigeria’s public finance system.
The directive, backed by four newly issued treasury circulars from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF), mandates that all government revenues must now be collected electronically, issued with a centralised e-receipt, and remitted directly into the Treasury Single Account (TSA).
According to the circulars signed under the authority of the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, the move aims to eliminate revenue leakages, block unauthorised deductions, curb corruption, and strengthen real-time monitoring of federal collections.
The OAGF described the new guidelines as “a decisive step towards ending decades of manual, fraud-prone practices in MDAs.”
Mandatory e-Receipts Begin January 1, 2026
Under the new rule, the Federal Treasury eReceipt (FTeR) will become the only official receipt for all payments to the Federal Government.
Although the ban on physical receipts takes effect immediately, the FTeR system becomes compulsory from January 1, 2026, giving MDAs time to fully migrate to the platform.
The OAGF said the FTeR is a fraud-proof, traceable, verifiable digital receipt designed to eliminate fake or unofficial receipts widely used in licensing, regulatory services, fines, and administrative charges.
No More Deductions at Source
A major shift in the new reform is the complete prohibition of deductions, including commissions and service charges, at the point of revenue collection.
Under the new rule:
- MDAs cannot deduct convenience fees
- Payment service providers cannot deduct charges
- All revenue must hit the TSA in full
- Any deduction must be approved directly by the Minister of Finance
The government estimates that billions of naira are lost annually to unauthorised deductions and fragmented payment systems.—
RevOp Becomes Nigeria’s Unified Revenue Platform
To enforce the new system, the OAGF confirmed that the Revenue Optimisation Platform (RevOp) will now serve as Nigeria’s single central system for billing, reconciliation, monitoring and reporting.
The platform integrates TSA, GIFMIS, CBN, NIBSS and FIRS, offering real-time visibility into federal revenue streams.
MDAs have been ordered to discontinue unapproved software and migrate fully to RevOp.
“A New Era of Transparency” — Finance Ministry
The Ministry of Finance said the reform aligns with its long-term digital revenue strategy and will strengthen Nigeria’s fiscal stability.
The ban will affect payments for passports, permits, licences, regulatory approvals, fines, and other service fees, as all transactions must now be digital and traceable.
The government warned that non-compliance will attract sanctions.
