The IRS reported that for tax filers subject to the penalty in 2014, the average penalty amount was around $210. In 2015, the average penalty was around $470. On 2016 tax returns, the average was about $667 per filer who owed a penalty. For 2018, the penalty for a middle-income family of four earning $60,000 was $2,085. The penalty could never exceed the national average cost for a Bronze plan, though – as penalty caps were readjusted annually to reflect changes in the average cost of a Bronze plan.