NY State TAP confusion with unmarried parents - both on FAFSA but TAP only allows one?

Yes, I've gone through this exact scenario. For NY State TAP, you need to include the parent you lived with for the majority of the past 12 months. This is different from the current FAFSA which requires both unmarried parents' information if they live together. If you lived with both equally, then you use the parent who provided more financial support. The system is designed this way because TAP still uses older dependency rules than the current FAFSA. Don't stress about the difference in calculations - this is completely normal. Your TAP award is determined separately from your federal aid.

I had this same problem but w different states! fafsa wants both parents but my state grant only wanted 1 parent info. ended up going with the parent i lived with most too. the financial aid office told me its because state grants havent updated their rules like fafsa did

I work as a financial aid advisor at a NY college, and this confusion with TAP is something we see constantly. Here's the official guidance: For NY State TAP, you report the parent you resided with for the majority of the 12-month period preceding the date of application. If you didn't live with either parent, or lived with them equally, you report the parent who provided the most financial support. This discrepancy exists because TAP hasn't updated its methodology to match the newer FAFSA requirements. Your appointment on the 18th is a good idea, but you can proceed with the application using these guidelines before then. Don't worry about your aid being calculated incorrectly - both systems are working as designed, just with different rules.

when i did my tap application last year they only wanted my moms info even tho fafsa had both parents. i just picked the parent i lived with most of the time and it went thru fine. got my tap money no problem

This inconsistency is actually by design. FAFSA updated their rules to require both unmarried parents' information if they live together, but NY State TAP still uses the old methodology which only counts one parent. Specifically, for TAP you should report: - The parent you lived with most during the past 12 months - If equal time with both, then the parent who provided more financial support - If neither of those apply, then the parent who most recently provided support Your FAFSA SAI and TAP calculations are intentionally different because they're based on different methodologies. This won't cause any problems with your financial aid package - colleges understand the difference and account for it when putting together your aid.

I tried calling the NY HESC office about this exact issue last year and spent 4 hours on hold before getting disconnected. Then tried again the next day and same thing happened. Eventually I gave up and just put my mom's info since I lived with her more. It worked out fine but the process was infuriating.

My cousin went thru this whole thing 2 years ago. Just FYI make sure your parents both file taxes seperate not joint or it gets super confusing for tap

I had my meeting with the financial aid counselor today, and I wanted to update everyone in case someone else has this same question in the future. They confirmed what many of you said - for TAP, I need to use the parent I lived with most (my mom). The counselor explained that TAP hasn't updated their methodology to match FAFSA's newer rules, and she said this confusion happens all the time. She also mentioned that in some cases, using just one parent's info for TAP can actually result in higher state aid since the income threshold might be lower with just one parent. She helped me finish my TAP application, and everything went through fine. Thanks everyone for your help! The system is definitely confusing but at least there's a clear answer.

Great update Connor! This is exactly why I always recommend students schedule those financial aid appointments even when they're stressed about deadlines. Your counselor's point about potentially getting higher TAP aid with one parent's income is something a lot of people don't realize - it's one of the few times the system's inconsistency actually works in students' favor. For anyone else reading this thread, the key takeaway is: don't panic when FAFSA and TAP ask for different parent information. Both systems are working correctly, they just have different rules. Use both parents for FAFSA, use the parent you lived with most for TAP, and your financial aid office will sort out the rest.