Should I fill out FAFSA now?

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Not sure about sheltering assets. I filled mine out and submitted already just to be done with it. I think a lot of the deadlines are december/january for financial aid so its coming up reasonably soon. Also the profile is a real beast to fill out so plan at least a few hours to sit down with parents if possible to go through it.
 
I am completely illiterate when it comes to financial aid and the schools that have accepted me are asking that I fill out the FAFSA and Profile. I was doing some reading online and people recommend that I shelter assets before completing the form but I am not sure why this is necessary or what changes this would make. The threads that have been made on this topic are rather old and I understand there have been some recent changes.

My situation: I currently have over $150k sitting in my savings account. Out of this money I still need to pay about $30k in taxes next year and I also don’t have a car still and am thinking about budgeting another $25k for one. I also need to have a surgery done and I have a high deductible insurance plan so that’s another $10k I have to pay there. My parents make over $100k.

My concern is that some of the schools offer non need based scholarships but they are on a rolling basis. So delaying my application may hurt my chances of getting accepted for these scholarships. Do you guys think I should just submit now with everything I have? Should I buy a car right now and then submit even though I don’t really need a car at this exact moment? Should I wait till next year once I have completed all these expenditures?

Thank you!
Sounds like you need to speak to a financial aid counselor. As far as I know, you are NOT asked about your assets on the FASFA form, so you don't need to hide anything. What you need to provide is financial information such as income (which is verified via the IRS). You may also need to provide your parent/s' financial information. You can start filling out a FASFA form without submitting it and you can see exactly what is asked of you.
 
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