Pie Tax

Pie Tax is a free, HMRC-recognised mobile app for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax, letting sole traders connect their bank, track income and expenses, and submit quarterly updates from their phone at no cost.

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At a glance

Pie Tax’s Making Tax Digital software is completely free, with no hidden fees. It’s a mobile-first app: connect your bank, categorise income and expenses, and submit your quarterly updates and final declaration to HMRC, all from your phone. If you want expert support on top, paid plans start from £29 a quarter.

Free

£29

MTD software itself

Support, per quarter

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What is Pie Tax?

Pie Tax is a mobile app built for UK sole traders and landlords doing Making Tax Digital for Income Tax. It’s designed to be used entirely from your phone: connect your bank account via open banking, sort your income and expenses, and submit quarterly updates and your final declaration to HMRC in a few minutes. The core MTD software is free - Pie Tax makes its money from optional paid support plans for people who want a tax expert handling things, rather than from the software itself.

Is Pie Tax HMRC-recognised?

Yes. Pie Tax is HMRC-recognised Making Tax Digital software and appears on HMRC’s official list. It’s built specifically so sole traders, landlords and the self-employed can manage MTD compliance themselves without needing an accountant, connecting your bank and submitting quarterly updates directly from the app.

How does Pie Tax handle MTD for Income Tax?

Digital record keeping: connect your bank via open banking, and Pie Tax pulls in your transactions to keep digital records automatically
Quarterly updates: Pie Tax compiles your income and expenses into the format HMRC requires and submits each quarterly update directly from the app
Final declaration: at year end, Pie Tax helps bring together your four quarterly updates and any other income or reliefs so you can submit your final declaration by 31 January
Running tax estimate: the app shows an ongoing estimate of what you owe, updated in real time as your bank feed brings in new transactions

Key features

MTD software that’s completely free, with no hidden fees or long-term contract
Open banking connection so income and expenses are tracked automatically rather than logged manually
Running tax liability estimate, updated in real time
Direct submission of quarterly updates and the final declaration to HMRC
Built to be used without an accountant, with optional paid expert support if you want it

Pricing

Pie Tax separates the free software from optional paid support.

MTD software - Free

The core software, at no cost:

Connect your bank and track income and expenses
Submit quarterly updates and your final declaration to HMRC
No hidden fees or long-term contract

Quarterly support - from £29 a quarter

If you want a tax expert handling your quarterly update:

A tax expert reviews and submits your quarterly return
Deals with HMRC on your behalf
Cancel any time

Full MTD package - from around £199 a year

For registration through to your final declaration, done for you:

MTD registration, all four quarterly updates and your final declaration
Year-round tax support included
Aimed at people who’d rather hand the whole process to an expert

Always check Pie Tax’s current pricing page for exact plan costs, as these are subject to change.

Pros and cons

Pros:

MTD software itself is completely free - one of very few genuinely free HMRC-recognised options
Mobile-first design suits sole traders who prefer managing tax from their phone rather than a desktop
Open banking connection cuts manual data entry compared with spreadsheet-based tools
Running tax estimate helps you keep track of your liability throughout the year, not just at year end
Optional paid support available if you want expert help rather than doing it entirely yourself

Cons:

Less well-established than major accounting platforms, so fewer independent reviews and less accountant familiarity
Mobile-first focus means it likely lacks the deeper bookkeeping features (invoicing, payroll, detailed reporting) of full accounting software
Built around a single open banking connection, so may suit simpler affairs better than multiple income sources
Company is based in Ireland, which is worth knowing if that matters to you when choosing a provider

Who is Pie Tax best for MTD for Income Tax?

Pie Tax is worth a serious look if you want free, HMRC-recognised MTD software and you’re comfortable managing your own tax affairs from your phone. The core software costs nothing, which makes it one of the cheapest ways to comply, and the open banking connection means less manual entry than a spreadsheet-based tool. If you’d rather have an expert handle things, or you want wider bookkeeping features like invoicing alongside your MTD compliance, compare Pie Tax’s paid support plans against a full accounting platform.

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Frequently asked questions

Is Pie Tax free for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax?

Yes. Pie Tax’s MTD software is completely free, with no hidden fees. If you want expert support on top, paid plans start from £29 a quarter.

Is Pie Tax HMRC-recognised?

Yes, Pie Tax is on HMRC’s official list of software recognised for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax.

Do I need an accountant to use Pie Tax?

No. Pie Tax is built so sole traders, landlords and the self-employed can manage their own MTD compliance without an accountant, though paid expert support is available if you want it.

Does Pie Tax work on both iPhone and Android?

Yes, Pie Tax is available on both the App Store and Google Play.

When do I need to start using MTD-compliant software like Pie Tax?

Sole traders with qualifying income above £50,000 needed to comply from April 2026. Those with income between £30,000 and £50,000 must join from April 2027.

Compare MTD software for sole traders

Pie Tax is one option among several worth comparing. Browse the full MTD Software directory to compare it against Untied, TaxNav and other HMRC-recognised options.

Pricing and offers correct at time of publication. Always check the Pie Tax website for current pricing and to confirm HMRC recognition status before signing up.