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.

As someone who just went through this process last year, I can confirm everything everyone has said here. The TAP vs FAFSA parent situation is super confusing at first, but once you understand that they're using different rules, it makes sense. One thing I'd add is to make sure you keep documentation of which parent you lived with most - I had to verify this during the TAP review process. I used things like school enrollment records, medical records, and utility bills to show my primary residence. It wasn't a big deal, but having the paperwork ready saved me time. Also, don't stress too much about the income differences between the two applications. In my case, using just my mom's income for TAP actually qualified me for more state aid than I expected, even though my FAFSA SAI was higher with both parents included. The systems are designed to work together, not against each other. Good luck with your aid package Connor - sounds like you're all set now!

This thread has been so helpful! I'm actually starting my FAFSA and TAP applications next week and was already worried about the parent information since my parents are also unmarried. Reading through everyone's experiences has really eased my anxiety about the process. One question - for those who went through verification, did TAP ask for any specific documents to prove which parent you lived with most? I want to start gathering paperwork now so I'm not scrambling later if they request it. Also Connor, congratulations on getting everything sorted out! It's great that you came back to update everyone with what your counselor said. Posts like this are exactly why this community is so valuable for students navigating the financial aid maze.

Welcome to the community! I'm also navigating the financial aid process for the first time and this thread has been incredibly enlightening. The inconsistency between FAFSA and TAP requirements seems unnecessarily complicated, but it's reassuring to see so many people who have successfully worked through it. For anyone else reading this who might be in a similar situation, I think the key takeaways are: 1) Don't panic when the applications ask for different parent information - this is normal, 2) For TAP, use the parent you lived with most in the past 12 months, 3) Keep documentation ready in case verification is needed, and 4) Schedule that financial aid appointment even if it feels scary! Connor, thanks for sharing your experience and coming back with the update from your counselor. It's so helpful to see the full journey from confusion to resolution. Posts like this make the financial aid process feel less overwhelming for newcomers like me.

As someone who just started the financial aid process myself, this thread has been absolutely invaluable! I'm in the exact same boat with unmarried parents and was completely confused about why FAFSA and TAP were asking for different information. Reading through everyone's experiences has saved me so much stress and worry. Connor, thank you for posting the original question and following up with what your counselor told you - that update about potentially getting more TAP aid with one parent's income is something I never would have known otherwise. I'm planning to start my applications this weekend and now I feel so much more prepared. It's incredible how this community comes together to help each other navigate these confusing systems. The documentation tips from @Ava Johnson are especially helpful - I'm going to start gathering those records now so I'm ready if verification comes up. For other newcomers like me who might be feeling overwhelmed by the whole process, this thread is proof that even the most confusing financial aid questions have answers and there are people here willing to help you find them!

I'm so glad I found this thread! I'm a new member here and literally just ran into this exact same issue yesterday when I was working on my TAP application. I had already submitted my FAFSA with both parents' information (they're unmarried but live together), and then TAP was only asking for one parent and I had no idea what to do. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been such a relief - I was starting to think I had messed something up with my FAFSA. Now I understand that this discrepancy is totally normal and expected. I'll go with my dad's information since I lived with him slightly more last year. Connor, thank you so much for posting your question and then coming back with the update from your counselor! That follow-up information about potentially getting higher TAP aid with one parent's income is really encouraging. This community is amazing - I wish I had found it sooner in my college planning process!

I'm new to this community and just wanted to say how incredibly helpful this thread has been! I'm starting my FAFSA and TAP applications next month and was already dreading the complexity of having unmarried parents who live together. Reading through everyone's experiences here has completely eased my anxiety about the process. Connor, thank you for not only asking the question that so many of us needed answered, but also for coming back with that crucial update from your financial aid counselor. That detail about potentially receiving higher TAP aid when only one parent's income is considered is something I never would have known otherwise. To all the experienced members who shared their knowledge - especially @Kaiya Rivera with the official guidance and @Ava Johnson with the documentation tips - you've made what seemed like an impossible maze feel totally manageable. I'm actually looking forward to getting my applications done now instead of dreading them! For anyone else who might be new and feeling overwhelmed by these inconsistencies between federal and state aid programs, this thread proves that there are clear answers and people willing to help you find them. This community is exactly what students need when navigating these confusing systems!

As a newcomer to this community, I just want to say how grateful I am for threads like this! I'm about to start my own FAFSA and TAP applications and was already feeling overwhelmed by all the different requirements. Seeing Connor's journey from confusion to resolution, and reading everyone's helpful responses, has given me so much confidence. The fact that TAP and FAFSA use different parent information requirements seems like such an obvious thing that should be explained clearly somewhere, but apparently it's not! Thank goodness for communities like this where people actually help each other navigate these systems. I'll definitely be using the "parent you lived with most" rule for TAP and keeping documentation ready like @Ava Johnson suggested. It's also really encouraging to hear that sometimes the one-parent TAP calculation can actually result in more aid - I never would have expected that! Thank you Connor for sharing your whole experience and thank you to everyone who provided such detailed and helpful responses. This is exactly the kind of support students need when dealing with these confusing financial aid processes!

As someone who just joined this community and is about to start the FAFSA and TAP process myself, this entire thread has been absolutely invaluable! I was already stressed about having unmarried parents and not knowing how to handle the different requirements, but reading through Connor's experience and everyone's helpful responses has completely changed my perspective. The fact that TAP still uses the old methodology while FAFSA has updated their rules is such important information that I never would have found anywhere else. I love how this community actually explains WHY things work the way they do, not just what to do. Connor, thank you for being so thorough in sharing your journey from confusion to resolution - and especially for coming back with that update from your counselor! Knowing that using one parent's income for TAP might actually result in higher state aid is such a game-changer. For other newcomers who might be feeling overwhelmed like I was, this thread is proof that even the most confusing financial aid questions have clear answers when you have the right community support. I'm actually excited to get started on my applications now instead of dreading them!

I'm completely new to this community and just wanted to add my voice to everyone thanking Connor for posting this question and following through with updates! I literally bookmarked this thread because I'm dealing with the exact same situation - unmarried parents, FAFSA wanting both, TAP only wanting one. What really stands out to me is how this community came together to not just answer the question, but explain the WHY behind it all. Understanding that TAP uses older methodology while FAFSA updated their rules makes this whole confusing situation actually make sense. I'm starting my applications next week and now I feel prepared instead of panicked. The documentation tips from @Ava Johnson are especially helpful - I had no idea I might need to verify which parent I lived with most during the review process. For anyone else who might be new and feeling overwhelmed by these financial aid inconsistencies, this thread is living proof that there ARE answers and people willing to help you find them. Sometimes the system's confusion actually works in our favor too - who knew that TAP's one-parent calculation might result in higher aid! Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences here. This is exactly the kind of community support that makes navigating college financial aid feel possible instead of impossible.

I'm brand new to this community and just wanted to say thank you to everyone who contributed to this thread! I'm literally in the exact same situation - unmarried parents living together, FAFSA completed with both parents, and now TAP is confusing me by only asking for one parent's information. Reading through Connor's entire journey from confusion to resolution has been so reassuring. I was starting to panic thinking I had made some mistake on my FAFSA, but now I understand this is completely normal and the systems are just using different methodologies. The advice about using the parent I lived with most for TAP makes perfect sense now, and I love that @Kaiya Rivera explained the official reasoning behind it. It's also encouraging to hear from multiple people that this difference in calculations might actually work in our favor for TAP awards! I'm scheduled to meet with my financial aid counselor next week, but thanks to this thread I already feel so much more prepared and confident. Connor, your decision to come back and update everyone with what your counselor said was incredibly helpful - that kind of follow-through is what makes this community so valuable. For other newcomers who might be feeling overwhelmed by these financial aid inconsistencies like I was, this thread proves that even the most confusing situations have clear solutions when you have the right support and information!

I'm new to this community and just want to echo what everyone else has said about how incredibly helpful this thread has been! I'm facing the exact same situation with my FAFSA and TAP applications - my parents are unmarried but live together, and I was so confused when TAP only wanted one parent's information after I'd already submitted my FAFSA with both. Connor, thank you so much for not only asking this question but also following up with what your financial aid counselor told you. That update about potentially getting higher TAP aid with just one parent's income is such valuable information that I never would have known otherwise! What really impressed me about this thread is how everyone explained not just WHAT to do, but WHY the systems work differently. Understanding that TAP uses older methodology while FAFSA has updated their rules completely changed my perspective from "I must have done something wrong" to "oh, this is just how these different programs work." I'm planning to use my mom's information for TAP since I lived with her about 65% of the time last year, and I'm definitely going to start gathering documentation like @Ava Johnson suggested in case verification comes up later. For other newcomers who might be feeling overwhelmed by these financial aid inconsistencies, this thread is proof that even the most confusing situations have clear solutions when you have access to a supportive community like this one!

I'm brand new to this community and just wanted to say how grateful I am to have found this thread! I'm literally about to start my FAFSA and TAP applications next month and was already feeling anxious about having unmarried parents who live together. Reading through Connor's entire experience from initial confusion to final resolution has been incredibly reassuring. What really stands out to me is how this community not only provided the correct answer (use the parent you lived with most for TAP) but also explained the reasoning behind why FAFSA and TAP have different requirements. Understanding that TAP still uses older methodology while FAFSA has updated their rules makes the whole situation make perfect sense. The documentation tips from @Ava Johnson about keeping records to verify which parent you lived with most are so helpful - I would never have thought to gather that paperwork proactively. And Connor's update about potentially getting higher TAP aid with one parent's income is such encouraging news that I never would have known otherwise! For other newcomers who might be feeling overwhelmed by these financial aid inconsistencies, this thread is living proof that even the most confusing situations have clear solutions when you have access to knowledgeable community members willing to share their experiences. I'm actually looking forward to starting my applications now instead of dreading them!