What Is the Penalty for Not Having Health Insurance?

The Affordable Care Act included an individual mandate, requiring most people to have health insurance, enforced by a tax penalty (also called a fee, fine, or individual responsibility payment). While the requirement to have health insurance remains, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act eliminated the penalty starting in 2019.

If you could afford health insurance in 2018 but did not purchase coverage, you will likely have to pay a penalty amounting to either 2.5 percent of your yearly household income or $695 per person ($347.50 per child under 18), whichever is greater.

Calculate Your 2018 Penalty

Use to button below to visit the IRS website and calculate an estimate of what your health insurance penalty will be if you didn’t buy coverage for 2018.

Health Insurance Penalties from Previous Years

If you didn’t have health insurance in 2017, you paid the higher of these two amounts:

  • $695 per uninsured person and $347.50 per child (up to a $975 maximum)
  • Two-and-half percent of household income

If you didn’t have health insurance in 2016, you paid the higher of these two amounts:

  • $695 per uninsured person and $347.50 per child (up to a $975 maximum)
  • Two percent of household income

If you didn’t have health insurance in 2015, you paid the higher of these two amounts:

  • $325 per uninsured person and $162.50 per child (up to a $975 maximum)
  • Two percent of household income

If you didn’t have health insurance in 2014, you paid the higher of these two amounts:

  • $95 per adult in the family and $47.50 per child (up to a $285 maximum)
  • One percent of household income

Additional Information

To learn more about the Affordable Care Act and its requirements, visit our Healthcare Reform for Individuals page. For more detailed information about the individual mandate, like penalty exemptions, view our Healthcare Reform Resources.