If you didn’t have medical coverage in 2014 you may be surprised when filing your taxes and facing a penalty. However, there are different ways to avoid paying it. While some require proof and documentation, others are so vague that almost anybody can do so. 

Besides a series of specific situations, if you faced any other kind of financial hardship that prevented you from getting coverage, you must submit documentation “if possible.”  

To request an exception, download and fill out this form, and mail it to the indicated address.

The penalty is $95 per adult and $45 per child, or one percent of your income. But that’s only the first year. After that the penalty will increase to $325 and $695 per adult, or up to 2.5 percent of your income. 

The exceptions will only be available until 2016, so why not get insurance through the marketplace?

If you were homeless or experienced domestic violence, you don’t need to present any documentation as proof.

The following exceptions do require documentation as proof:

• You were evicted in the past 6 months or were facing eviction or foreclosure
• You received a shut-off notice from a utility company
• You recently experienced the death of a close family member
• You experienced a fire, flood, or other natural or human-caused disaster that caused substantial damage to your property
• You filed for bankruptcy in the past 6 months
• You had medical expenses you couldn’t pay in the last 24 months that resulted in substantial debt
• You experienced unexpected increases in necessary expenses due to caring for an ill, disabled, or aging family member
• You expect to claim a child as a tax dependent who’s been denied coverage by Medicaid and CHIP, and another person is required by court order to give medical support to the child. In this case, you don't have the pay the penalty for the child.
• As a result of an eligibility appeals decision, you’re eligible for enrollment in a qualified health plan (QHP) through the Marketplace, lower costs on your monthly premiums, or cost-sharing reductions for a time period when you weren’t enrolled in a QHP through the Marketplace
• You were deemed ineligible for Medicaid because your state didn’t expand eligibility for Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act
• Your individual insurance plan was canceled and you believe other Marketplace plans are unaffordable