TAP FAQs

Student applying as NYS residents must meet specific requirements to establish NYS residency.
HESC may ask students for information to demonstrate residency if there is any inconsistent
information provided on your FAFSA or TAP application. 
 
To meet NYS residency requirements for student aid, applicant must: 

• currently be a resident of NYS, and
• have been a resident of NYS for at least 12 months immediately preceding the first term for which the award is being sought, or
• have been a resident for the last two semesters of high school, or
• have been a resident of NYS at the time of entry into the armed forces, Peace Corps, or AmeriCorps Vista and re-establish NYS residency within six months of release from active duty.

If you are eligible to receive federal student aid (also known as Title IV aid), you must complete both the FAFSA and the NYS TAP application.

• If you are not eligible to receive federal student aid (also known as Title IV aid), you must simply complete the NYS TAP application under the provisions of the NYS DREAM Act.

You will receive an email from HESC – usually within three to four – with instructions on how to complete the TAP on the Web application, provided you selected at least one NYS college on the FAFSA.

Yes. TAP recipients who wish to receive continuing payments must apply each year to verify that they continue to meet the program’s eligibility requirements. If eligible to receive federal student aid, TAP recipients must also annually complete the FAFSA.

Your TAP award is determined by HESC after information submitted on the application, such as income, is verified. 
 
To get an idea of your potential TAP award, use the TAP Award Estimator.  

After your TAP application is processed, HESC will notify you by email to log into your HESC account to view the status of your TAP award.

The TAP award estimate in your award letter was based on information you provided at the time of application. HESC determines your actual TAP award based on verified information, including your income as verified by the NYS Department of Taxation and Finance. As a result, the actual award may differ from your college’s estimate. The college is notified of your actual award.

For the 2023-24 Academic Year: 

• $80,000 or less net taxable income (NTI):
  • If you are a dependent undergraduate student within a household earning under the income limit, or
  • If you are an independent student (married or single) with tax dependents, or
  • If you are a student who qualified as an orphan, foster child, or ward of the court at any time since the age of 13.
• $40,000 or less net taxable income (NTI):
  • If you are an independent student (married) without tax dependents.
• $10,000 or less net taxable income (NTI):
  • If you are an independent student (single) without tax dependents.

For the 2024-25 Academic Year: 

• $125,000 or less net taxable income (NTI):
  • If you are a dependent undergraduate student within a household earning under the income limit, or
  • If you are an independent student (married or single) with tax dependents, or
  • If you are a student who qualified as an orphan, foster child, or ward of the court at any time since the age of 13.
• $60,000 or less net taxable income (NTI):
  • If you are an independent student (married) without tax dependents.
• $30,000 or less net taxable income (NTI):
  • If you are an independent student (single) without tax dependents.

Estimate your TAP award

Yes, pension income is included in the calculation of a TAP award, and therefore, should be reported on the TAP Application. Pensions of New York State, local and federal governments as well as any private pension and annuities are to be included in the calculation of income used for determining TAP award eligibility and must be reported on the TAP Application.

Yes, pension income that is exempt from New York State or federal taxation is included in the calculation of a TAP award and must be reported on the TAP Application.

HESC calculates the TAP award using the pension income included on the federal tax return as
reported on the FAFSA using the standard deduction and claimed exemptions.

You should check to be sure that all the following information on the electronic award notification is correct:

• Name, address and social security number
• Social security numbers reported for your spouse and your parents, if applicable
• College code
  • Only one college code is listed
• Your marital status, and your parent’s marital status, if applicable
• Income tax filing status for you and your parents, if applicable
  • Choices include: will not file, will file NY return, will file federal only
• Other family members attending college

It is important to review and correct any errors so your TAP award payment will not be delayed once you start school. Corrections are made online in your HESC account through Student Access.

The processing of a TAP application may take three to five weeks. 
 
During certain times of the academic year processing times for "Requests for Information" and "Change Forms" may vary depending on additional review needed for income verification or residency review. Your award should be considered an estimate until your college has certified your eligibility for TAP.

Under the law, students are considered dependent upon their parents for TAP purposes unless they demonstrate that they are independent students. The following chart contains the requirements for independent status:

The basic conditions are: 

• has not resided and will not reside with parents for more than six weeks; and
• has not and will not receive financial assistance or support valued in excess of $750 from parents; and
• has not and will not be claimed as a dependent by either parent for purposes of either federal or state income tax.

Condition: You are a ward of the court (not including status as an inmate). 
Documentation: Copy of a court order making you a ward of the court or appointing a guardian other than your parents. 
 
Condition: You are receiving public assistance under your own budget and not as a dependent of your parents. 
Documentation: Budget statement or other documentation from a social service official showing receipt of public assistance other than food stamps or unemployment insurance.
NOTE: Housing Assistance/Budget Letter must be in student’s name. 
 
Condition: There has been an involuntary dissolution of your family resulting in relinquishment of your parents’ responsibility and control. 
Documentation: A sworn and signed statement from a person other than yourself or your parents (such as a member of the clergy, a social worker, a legal aid representative, or an official at the facility or institution which has accepted responsibility for your control or care) relating to your family circumstances. The statement must include the specific reasons for relinquishment of parental responsibility and control (such as abandonment by the parents, mental and/or physical abuse by the parents, or parents being neither citizens nor residents of the United States), your relationship to the person making the statement, and how that person has direct knowledge of your family circumstances. 
 
Condition: Both parents are deceased. 
Documentation: Copies of death certificates for both parents. 
 
Condition: Both parents have been certified as having a total and permanent disability, or have been declared incompetent by judicial action. 
Documentation: Medical certification and court orders. Documentation for both parents is required.

You may make school code changes online by visiting your HESC account through Student Access. You can watch this instructional video or if you would like assistance in making this change, you can schedule a one-on-one appointment with a HESC Customer Communications representative.