Individual Mandate

The individual mandate was a part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that required most Americans to have health coverage or pay a fine. This fine was sometimes called the ACA “tax penalty.”

Starting in 2019 there is no tax penalty if you don't have coverage.

Note: If you didn't have coverage during 2018, there may still be a penalty on your 2018 federal income taxes (due in April of 2019). For 2018, the penalty was $695 or 2.5% of your income, whichever was greater.