A Chat with Tom McNally, Founder at Self-Assessment App: Pie

Tell us about Pie?

 

Pie is the UK’s first self-assessment app and it was founded with a simple mission in mind – to democratise tax for the masses. That’s why we started and that’s what we continue to do.

We’re achieving this by providing the necessary tools for self-assessment in one easy to use app and for free (with optional add ons) – meaning, it’s an accessible and affordable option for the majority.

As we continue to attract new investors, partners and grow our customer base, our focus remains on making tax simple for as many people as possible.

 

 

How did you come up with the idea for Pie? And what do you think makes this company unique?

 

I’ve always been a problem solver and it felt as though making tax simple was a hurdle that has never been properly overcome. So, the idea for Pie was inspired by solving that problem and helping working individuals break free from their tax burdens.

What makes it unique is that Pie is the only app that covers all income types in one place and allows customers to submit directly to HMRC for free. It’s also not just for the self-employed – it covers multiple income types, alongside child benefits, pension contributions, student loans, tax reliefs and more.

 

 

What is your advice to aspiring entrepreneurs?

 

Focus on ideas that you can ultimately scale – tech companies are the most scalable in today’s climate.

It’s also important to obsess over the design of your digital products from the off-set – customers want a seamless product experience and to make their lives easier – and the successful companies of the world provide this (Google, Meta, Monzo etc).

Finally, it’s important to recognise that a good idea can’t take you the whole way – securing and retaining customers is vital (as a strong idea can fall to nothing if people don’t buy into it). So, have a detailed plan for your go to market strategy – it’s much harder to get customers than you think.

 

What most excites you about Pie?

 

From 2026, HMRC will phase out its digital portal (Make Tax Digital – MTD) – meaning over 7m taxpayers will be required to use a third-party app such as Pie to file their tax returns.

With this, we’re incredibly excited about Pie’s potential here and what it can do for those working individuals – we truly believe that we have the ideal solution for people going through this transition.

This provides a brilliant opportunity to grow our customer base and community – as more and more individuals look to the apps that can help in digitally filing their taxes.

 

How has the company evolved over the last couple of years?

 

Since launch, we’ve been growing at speed – with over 50,000 downloads to date and a 500% customer growth QoQ.

We’ve overseen this growth while staying true to the mission – democratising tax for the masses and helping working individuals break free from tax burdens.

By doing this and delivering a best-in-class product for our customers, we’ve attracted major partnerships with the likes of Google and eToro. We’re now also in conversations with a major UK bank to become its exclusive tax partner

 

What can we hope to see from Pie in the future?

 

After bootstrapping funding to date, we’re thrilled to be going through a seed investment round. The interest we’re gathering is a true testament to the quality and demand for the product.

Through this, we’ll be able to build more features and continue innovating tax solutions for the self-employed and beyond. We’re really excited to be announcing one of these new product features very soon – I can’t say too much about it right now, but it’s a first for us and the entire tax/ accountancy industry.

As we grow and look to be an essential service for the UK as tax becomes digital for all, we’ll also look to expand to additional markets.