Pension, NHF and ITF: what Nigerian employers remit each month

PAYE is not the only deduction leaving your account after payroll. Pension, NHF, and ITF each have their own deadline and their own receipt — miss one and the backlog compounds.

  • Pension is 8% employee + 10% employer — remit to each PFA on schedule.
  • Collect RSA PIN at onboarding or backlog builds fast.
  • PAYE, pension, and NHF are separate deadlines — one calendar.

You ran payroll. Salaries left the account. Then pension, PAYE, and NHF reminders hit in different weeks — and ITF shows up when you thought you were done. Nigerian payroll is a bundle, not a single button.

Pension — 8% employee, 10% employer

Remit to each employee’s Pension Fund Administrator (PFA). Most schedules expect payment within 7–14 days of salary. Your schedule needs names, RSA PINs, and split amounts.

NHF — 2.5% of basic for eligible staff

Deducted from eligible employees and remitted per FMBN guidance. Eligibility rules are not identical for every compensation structure — confirm with your accountant rather than assuming everyone or no one.

ITF — 1% training levy

Employers with five or more staff (or turnover thresholds under the ITF Act) owe 1% of annual payroll. Many SMEs accrue monthly and settle on ITF’s billing cycle. Check whether you are registered.

One pay run should surface every statutory line before you mark it paid.

A month you can repeat

  1. Run payroll — gross to net with every deduction visible
  2. Pay staff and mark the run paid
  3. Remit pension to each PFA with schedule
  4. Remit PAYE to state IRS
  5. Remit NHF where applicable
  6. Handle ITF per your annual or billing calendar
  7. Save every receipt in one folder — or export a filing pack

Run payroll with statutory lines built in — Pension, NHF, PAYE on one payslip