<p>
</p>
<p>Actually, no choice. You MUST put this down on your FAFSA. It’s fraud not to do so. The only way to NOT declare this money is to spend it. If you simply “remove” it from your account but still have the cash, you must still declare it as an asset as CASH is an asset. </p>
<p>I would suggest that you transfer this money into your parents’ names before filing the FAFSA. You would have to check with someone regarding “gifting” this to them. There are limits to the amount one can “gift” to someone else in a year. Still as noted above, the parents have some asset protection which you do not have as a student. In addition, the amount assessed for the parents is significantly LESS than for the students</p>