The most immediate change you're going to see - and this change will remain in effect even if or when a deal is finally reached - is the 2% payroll tax cut is expiring and no one anticipates it'll be extended.
That means if you make $50,000 a year, you'll get about $83 less in your check every month.
If you make $100,000, expect your paycheck to shrink by about $167 a month.
This is just one of many changes all of us need to brace ourselves for.
Going over the 'fiscal cliff' will raise taxes on nearly 90% of Americans.
And one of the big issues is the Alternative Minimum Tax.
If Congress doesn't approve a patch for the AMT, Joe Murray of the First Financial Group says, "[for] most middle income class people, it would add another $3,700 a year to their tax burden."
And expect a delay in getting your tax refunds.
Millions of taxpayers won't even be able to file their 2012 returns until at least the spring.
"There's really not going to be a way to have the proper tax forms done, the IRS tax systems won't be ready, there just won't be a way to do this thing until at least March, possibly April," Murray said.
And finally, unemployment benefits are likely to be extended but if they're not, more than 2-million long-term unemployed will run out of benefits at midnight.
And more unemployment benefits would run out next year.
One more thing to anticipate going over the cliff long-term means the poorest Americans will see two key tax credits disappear - the earned income tax credit and the child tax credit.
That's thousands of dollars families won't be able to count on anymore.
Here's a link to the calculator that'll show you exactly how various tax policies will affect you: http://calculator.taxpolicycenter.org/
