You’re filling an e-Dividend (often written “e-Dividend”) mandate form, and those two fields confuse a lot of people. Let’s clarify them properly so you don’t make errors.
🧠 1. Tax Identification Number (TIN)
This is issued by
👉 Federal Inland Revenue Service
✔️ What to do:
If you have a company:
Use your company TIN (you got it when you registered with CAC)
If you’re an individual investor:
Use your personal TIN
👉 If you don’t have one:
You can use your BVN-linked TIN
Or generate it via FIRS TaxPro Max
⚠️ Important:
Don’t leave it blank (some registrars reject forms)
Ensure the name on TIN matches your bank/CSCS name
🧠 2. RC Number (Registration Number)
This comes from
👉 Corporate Affairs Commission
✔️ What to enter:
If you registered a company:
Enter your RC number
Example: RC 1234567
If you are NOT a company (very common):
You have two options depending on the form:
Option A:
👉 Write: “N/A” (Not Applicable)
Option B:
👉 Some forms allow:
Leave it blank
📌 Most Likely Your Situation
From your questions, you’re probably:
An individual investor (not registering shares as a company)
👉 So you should fill:
TIN → Your personal TIN (or BVN-linked TIN)
RC Number → N/A
⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid
❌ Using wrong TIN (company vs personal)
❌ Leaving fields empty when required
❌ Name mismatch across:
Bank account
CSCS account
TIN
👉 This causes dividend payment failure
🔧 Quick Example (How Yours Should Look)
TIN: 12345678-0001
RC Number: N/A
🔚 Bottom Line
TIN = your tax ID (personal or company)
RC Number = only for registered companies
👉 If you’re investing as an individual → just put N/A for RC