Cashless Revenue: FG to End Physical Receipts Jan 2026, Deploy Unified e-Treasury
The Federal Government has announced sweeping changes to its revenue collection system, unveiling a full transition to cashless payments and a new mandatory digital treasury receipt for all government transactions beginning January 1, 2026.
The reforms, contained in four separate Treasury Circulars issued by the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF), are part of the Revenue Optimisation Programme (RevOp), a nationwide push to modernise public finance, block leakages and strengthen transparency in government revenue flows.
Under the new rules, all federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) are banned from using physical cash receipts for any official payment, while deductions or commissions at the point of revenue collection have been outlawed.
The government said all payments must now reflect the full amount directly into the Treasury Single Account (TSA), without any intermediary charges.
Checks by Economic Confidential show that key feature of the reforms is the introduction of the Federal Treasury e-Receipt (FTeR), which becomes the only valid and legally recognised receipt for federal government transactions from January 1, 2026. The digital receipt will be issued through the government’s RevOp platform and automatically shared with payers through approved channels.
According to the OAGF, the e-Receipt is designed to eliminate fake receipts, stamp out manual acknowledgements, and provide verifiable transaction records for citizens and businesses.
The government described the reform as the biggest overhaul of treasury operations since the Treasury Single Account (TSA), noting that it consolidates existing systems such as TSA, GIFMIS, CBN, NIBSS, FIRS and MDA billing platforms into a unified digital environment.
Officials estimate that the move will save billions of naira currently lost through unauthorised deductions, fragmented payment platforms, and cash-based revenue handling.
“The reform creates a single source of truth for government revenue and ensures every naira collected is tracked, reconciled and auditable,” a senior official familiar with the implementation told journalists.
The rollout of the Revenue Optimisation Platform (RevOp) is expected to automate billing, monitoring, and reconciliation for federal payments, giving government real-time visibility of MDA performance and revenue inflows.
This move means all payments will now go into a uniform system, the government hopes to close long-standing leakages within MDAs and improve confidence in public financial management.
The circulars mean citizens and businesses will no longer receive paper-based receipts for government services. From 2026, only the FTeR will be accepted as proof of payment — whether for passport applications, taxes, licences, or regulatory fees.
MDAs must also secure official approval before deploying any digital payment platform, ending the use of customised applications operated through unapproved Payment Solution Service Providers (PSSPs).
The government says the transition will simplify payments and offer secure, transparent, and searchable records for the public.
Modernising the Treasury
The Revenue Optimisation Programme is being championed by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, who has repeatedly called for technology-driven reforms to stabilise federal finances.
The OAGF noted that the reforms move Nigeria closer to global best practice in public financial management, positioning the treasury to better support national development goals.
The government urged media organisations to avoid misinformation and help educate the public on the implications of the new policy.
With less than one year until the e-Receipt policy comes into force, MDAs are expected to accelerate preparations for the full digital rollout.
By PRNigeria