Applying for TAP

Tips for Completing Your
TAP-on-the-Web Application

Please keep in mind the following tips when completing your online TAP application:

Your TAP-on-the-Web application cannot be processed until your FAFSA is complete.
TAP awards are not processed until the NYS Budget is passed, which is typically on or after April 1 of each year.
If you miss the TAP link after finishing the FAFSA, you must wait 3 business days, until your FAFSA data is received by HESC, before completing your TAP-on-the-Web application.
The TAP-on-the-Web application has space for only one school code. Usually it's the first New York State school you named on your FAFSA.
When you decide on the school you will attend, please remember to update your TAP application with the name of that school if it's different from the one you included originally.

The TAP application process begins with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). HESC will use the FAFSA as part of your online TAP application.
Start your online FAFSA.

After completing your FAFSA, begin your online TAP application immediately using the link on your FAFSA Confirmation Page, or by clicking here.
At the start of the process, you will be prompted to get a HescPIN (Personal Identification Number). You will use your HescPIN to "sign" your TAP application, check its status or make changes.
Once you have your HescPIN, complete your online TAP application. Information from your FAFSA and your family's calculated NYS net taxable income will be pre-filled on your online TAP application. Follow the instructions provided.

If you don't apply for federal aid online, you must get a paper FAFSA from the high school guidance office, the public library, or your college’s Financial Aid Office.
Even if you use a paper FAFSA, you can still do your TAP application online.
About 3 weeks after mailing your paper FAFSA, HESC will send you a postcard or e-mail prompting you to get a HescPIN and complete your TAP application online. Follow the online instructions.

Once you've submitted your FAFSA, HESC will send an e-mail or postcard with instructions on how to request a paper application, also known as the Express TAP Application (ETA). Information from your FAFSA and your family's calculated NYS income will be preprinted on your ETA. Review this information, make any necessary corrections, complete any missing items, and then sign and mail using the return envelope.

You can use the quick link at the bottom of most pages on HESC.org to check the status of your TAP application, at any time.
If you provide an e-mail address on your FAFSA, HESC can use it to tell you about your TAP application or award status, or to ask you for information we need to complete your application. Please be alert to HESC e-mails and respond to any requests or instructions.
If you do not provide an e-mail address and have an approved status, you will receive a postcard from HESC.
If you do not provide an e-mail address and have a denied status, you will receive a paper denial notification letter.

If you received TAP in the previous year and your application information is unchanged, you may only have to file a Renewal FAFSA to get TAP in subsequent years. You should review the information on your renewal TAP application and make any necessary corrections, then submit the application.

The TAP application deadline is June 30 of the academic year for which aid is sought.