The flat fee penalty maxes out at $285 next year. To help people figure out what they might owe, the , jointly run by the Urban Institute and the Brookings Institution, just posted an . And Jackson Hewitt has its own “How much is my tax penalty?” .

Haile says it’s important to remember that even if most of the family has insurance, having just one uninsured member can trigger the penalty.

“If you’ve got someone who comes home to live it could cost you much more than a spare bedroom,” he says. “If you claim that child as a dependent, or could claim that child as a dependent, then you suddenly become liable for penalties if that child lacks minimum essential coverage.”

The 1 percent penalty, for those hit with that, also has a cap, but the penalty can still get pretty big. The cap is tied to the cost of the . This year’s top penalty could be about $3,600 for an individual, and $11,000 for a family of four.