GTA Online money methods, ranked by $/hr
The real, current ways to make money in GTA Online, ranked by net $/hr for solo play. Set your capital, weekly playtime, and risk, and the calculator sorts every method and builds your business buy order. The Kortz Center Heist tops the table as a weekly one-shot, Cayo Perico still tops sustained solo income at roughly $750k per hour after the patch 1.73 rebalance, and the right setup depends on your bankroll.
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Halloween runs through October, and its one money multiplier lands on a method the calculator tracks: Standard and Most Wanted Bail Office targets pay 2X GTA$ and RP all month, which doubles Bail Office bounty hunting from GTA$80,000 to GTA$160,000 an hour and lifts it from 15th to 10th of 23, level with Vehicle Cargo. The weekly challenge is two Bail Office bounties for a flat GTA$100,000, so a Bail Office owner collects the boosted payouts and the challenge in the same session, and clearing all five October challenges by November 4 adds a GTA$2,000,000 bonus to the GTA$700,000 the challenges pay on their own. Agency owners get a separate payday: five Security Contracts by October 7 earn an extra GTA$500,000, and Agencies are 40% off this week. The 3X on Survivals, Slasher and the race series is real money if you enjoy those modes, but none of it has a published payout per hour, so it stays off the rankings.
Boosted in the rankings below
Bonus events
- Weekly challenge: two Bail Office bounties. Flat GTA$100,000 plus the Green Vintage Skull Mask. Clear all five October challenges by November 4 for an extra GTA$2,000,000, paid within 72 hours.
- Five Security Contracts by October 7. An extra GTA$500,000 on top of the contract payouts, paid within 72 hours. Agency owners only.
- Dispatch Work. 2X GTA$ and RP all October. Not ranked: there is no published payout per hour.
- Halloween Survivals. 3X GTA$ and RP on Ludendorff Cemetery, Cayo Perico and the Alien Survivals.
- Featured Series: Slasher. 3X GTA$ and RP in every Slasher mode, the Ramius submarine version included.
- Community Race Series and San Andreas Super Sport Series. 3X GTA$ and RP. The Community Series bonus runs through November 4.
- Ghosts Exposed, Jack O'Lanterns, UFO Business Battles. 2X GTA$ on Ghosts Exposed, 2X GTA$ and RP on the other two.
- Prize Ride: Vapid Dominator GTT. Place top five in the LS Car Meet Series on three consecutive days.
Discounts worth grabbing
- Agency properties and upgrades, 40% off. From GTA$1,206,000 instead of GTA$2,010,000, the entry cost of the Agency contracts row.
- LCC Sanctus, Albany Brigham, Albany Lurcher, Albany Fränken Stange, Declasse Tornado Rat Rod. 40% off.
- Nagasaki Buzzard Attack Chopper, Sea Sparrow. 30% off.
Podium car Lampadati Cinquemila
Updated October 1, 2026. A new event drops every Thursday.
Full weekly breakdown →Drives weekly income + projection.
Methods above this are dimmed.
Income methods, ranked
Free| # | Method | Net $/hr | Startup | Payback | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cayo Perico Heist Heistactive | $750K | $2,200,000 | 2.9 h | medium |
| 2 | Auto Shop Robbery Contracts Businessactive | $350K | $1,670,000 | 4.8 h | medium |
| 3 | Cluckin' Bell Farm Raid Hustleactive | $280K | Free | n/a | medium |
| 4 | Salvage Yard Robberies Businessactive | $200K | $1,450,000 | 7.3 h | medium |
| 5 | Vehicle Cargo (Import / Export) Businessactive | $160K | $1,500,000 | 9.4 h | medium |
| 6 | Bail Office Bounty Hunting2x this week Hustleactive | $160K | $1,650,000 | 10.3 h | medium |
| 7 | Agency (Security Contracts + Payphone Hits) Businessactive | $150K | $2,010,000 | 13.4 h | low |
| 8 | Special Cargo (Crate Warehouse) Businessactive | $130K | $2,900,000 | 22.3 h | medium |
| 9 | VIP Work (Headhunter + Sightseer)Estimated Hustleactive | $120K | Free | n/a | medium |
| 10 | Acid Lab Businesssemi-passive | $95K | $1,000,000 | 10.5 h | low |
| 11 | Hangar Smuggling (Air Freight Cargo) Businessactive | $80K | $2,085,000 | 26.1 h | medium |
| 12 | Cocaine Lockup (MC) Businesssemi-passive | $74K | $2,300,000 | 31.1 h | medium |
| 13 | Bunker (Gunrunning) Businesssemi-passive | $60K | $2,300,000 | 38.3 h | medium |
| 14 | Methamphetamine Lab (MC) Businesssemi-passive | $51K | $2,100,000 | 41.2 h | medium |
| 15 | Nightclub (Passive Income) Passivepassive | $50K | $1,700,000 | 34.0 h | low |
| 16 | Time Trials + Daily Objectives Hustleactive | $50K | Free | n/a | low |
| 17 | Counterfeit Cash Factory (MC) Businesssemi-passive | $48K | $1,500,000 | 31.3 h | medium |
| 18 | Money Fronts (Car Wash network)Estimated Passivepassive | $42K | $1,500,000 | 35.7 h | low |
| 19 | Kortz Center Heist (weekly one-shot) Heistactive· over budget | $1.4M | $16,200,000 | 11.6 h | medium |
| 20 | Diamond Casino Heist Heistactive· above risk | $525K | $1,500,000 | 2.9 h | high |
| 21 | Doomsday Heist (Act 3)Estimated Heistactive· above risk | $270K | $1,250,000 | 4.6 h | high |
| 22 | Public Lobby Sell Runs (+50% bonus)Estimated Businessactive· above risk | $160K | Free | n/a | high |
| 23 | Casino Gambling (Lucky Wheel + tables)Estimated Investmentactive· above risk | $30K | $500 | 0.0 h | high |
Every rate here is community-reported: a documented payout seen consistently across the GTA community, not one we timed ourselves. Rows tagged Estimated are weaker still, derived from published payouts and cooldowns rather than observed. How we rate them.
Session Planner
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Goal Planner
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Empire Builder
ProThat is active play only. The full Empire Builder shows how to put your $3,000,000 into businesses for passive income on top of that, and the exact order to buy them.
Optimize a full business portfolio + 12-week projection
- →The businesses to buy first for your capital, ranked by ROI
- →A 12-week projection with passive income on top of your grind
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How these numbers work
Startup costs and the payout figures below are documented in-game values, last checked against July 2026 (patch 1.73). Net $/hr is computed from those payouts and realistic solo cycle times, assuming private lobbies, supplies bought, and no 2x event week. No activity has a single fixed $/hr in the game, it depends on how you play, so a skilled grinder beats these and a casual one trails them. The weekly 2x events on Thursdays can roughly double specific methods. Sources cross-checked across GTA Wiki, GTABase, gtaboom, Sportskeeda, and community payout calculators.
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Every method, full breakdown
Real costs and payouts for all 23 methods, sorted by net $/hr. Use the calculator above to filter these by your capital, playtime, and risk.
Kortz Center Heist (weekly one-shot)
The premium payout exists once per weekly reset. Repeats in the same week pay about $400k minus a $100k replay fee, so about $300k profit. Figures are community-aggregated from launch coverage and player reports, not GrindMap-tested.
Cayo Perico Heist
Still the best sustained solo money, but patch 1.73 hit it hard: primary values cut (Tequila $400k, Bearer Bonds $616k, Pink Diamond $910k), secondaries trimmed 10%, target rates now refresh weekly, and Cayo is excluded from the weekly first-completion bonuses. A clean solo run now nets roughly $700k to $1.0M. Replan from the Kosatka to fish for a better target.
Diamond Casino Heist
Big gross, but one of the only heists where you lose money taking damage, it can fail, and the finale needs 2 or more players. Patch 1.73 cut repeat finales about 30% and added a weekly first-completion bonus, so run it once per weekly reset for the buffed payout.
Auto Shop Robbery Contracts
The robbery contracts with Sessanta and KDJ are the money maker, not the customer car jobs (which pay little). One of the strongest solo earners after Cayo.
Cluckin' Bell Farm Raid
Free to run with no setup property. The best early bankroll before you can afford the Kosatka. Patch 1.73 cut the base raid to $400k but pays $600k on your first completion each weekly period, so lead your week with it. Fill the cooldown with other activities.
Doomsday Heist (Act 3)
Dated and group-only with lengthy setups. Mostly for completionists or the Mastermind bonus, not efficient solo income. Patch 1.73 cut finale payouts, but sources conflict on how much (10% to 40%), so the rate here assumes the smaller documented cut and is under re-verification.
Salvage Yard Robberies
High $/hr while running the robberies, but the weekly cap of three limits sustained income. Pick the high-value robbery and plan the approach.
Vehicle Cargo (Import / Export)
Sell standard and mid-range cars first so only top-range cars source, which keeps every export near $100k. Cannot be raided by NPCs or players.
Public Lobby Sell Runs (+50% bonus)
Selling product in a populated public lobby adds a 50% bonus, but other players can blow up your cargo and wipe the entire sale. Only do it when the lobby is genuinely empty or use a solo public session.
Agency (Security Contracts + Payphone Hits)
Every activity is solo and low risk. The catch is the cooldowns. The Dr. Dre VIP contract is a one-time $1M, then security contracts are the repeatable income.
Special Cargo (Crate Warehouse)
Buy crates three at a time to save time and money. Sourcing 111 crates solo is slow, but it is excellent during 2x event weeks and with technicians now helping source.
VIP Work (Headhunter + Sightseer)
The rate here is DERIVED, not observed, which is why it is marked estimated. The per-mission payouts and the two cooldowns are well corroborated; the hourly figure is not, because VIP Work payouts vary with lobby, travel time and how fast you close the job. Alternating the two missions at about 8 to 10 minutes each including travel gives roughly 6 to 7 runs per hour at about GTA$25,000, and this entry deliberately publishes the conservative end of that. It earns its place despite the uncertainty because it is the only strong earner that costs nothing to start and runs in an Invite Only session, and because Rockstar boosts it often, most recently at 5X from August 21 to 23.
Acid Lab
Cheap, mobile (it is a truck), and low delivery stress. The best return on investment of any business and the right first major purchase for most players.
Hangar Smuggling (Air Freight Cargo)
Historically weak margins, buffed a little by the Higgins Helitours link from Money Fronts. Mostly worth it for aircraft storage and Nightclub cargo integration, not raw profit.
Bail Office Bounty Hunting
Consistent and solo friendly, a fun gameplay loop more than a top earner. Capture targets alive for the full payout.
Cocaine Lockup (MC)
The most profitable MC business at $74k/hr fully upgraded. Sell in small batches solo, or just own it and let it feed your Nightclub.
Bunker (Gunrunning)
Solid semi-passive base. Manage supplies remotely from the Arcade. Sell in the city, not Blaine County, for the better payout.
Methamphetamine Lab (MC)
The second-best MC business. Place it in Grand Senora Desert near the cheap Cocaine Lockup and Clubhouse to chain sell missions.
Nightclub (Passive Income)
The best true passive income. Technicians accrue product from your other businesses with no supply runs. You need to own those businesses (Cocaine, Meth, Cash, Cargo, Bunker) to hit the top rate. Set it and forget it.
Time Trials + Daily Objectives
Quick free money to layer on top of your main grind every session. Watch a route video for the time trial, it pays the same for a 1 minute run.
Counterfeit Cash Factory (MC)
A cheaper MC business with decent margins. Best owned to feed the Nightclub rather than run on its own.
Money Fronts (Car Wash network)
Newer 2025 laundering businesses (Car Wash, Smoke on the Water, Higgins Helitours) that drip passive income. Run legit jobs to keep the Heat mechanic from shutting them down.
Casino Gambling (Lucky Wheel + tables)
Pure variance. The free daily Lucky Wheel spin is always worth taking, but blackjack, roulette and poker lose money over time. Treat any winnings as luck, not income.
GTA Online money FAQ
What is the best money method in GTA Online right now?
For a single score, the Kortz Center Heist's first weekly completion: about $2.0M to $2.25M solo, once per weekly reset (community figures). For sustained grinding it is still the Cayo Perico Heist, fully soloable at roughly $700k to $1M per run after the patch 1.73 cuts, about $750k net per hour.
What is the best solo money method?
Cayo Perico for the big payouts, with the Acid Lab producing in the background and the Cluckin' Bell Farm Raid or Agency work to fill the cooldown. That rotation is the fastest solo income in 2026.
What is the best passive income in GTA Online?
The Nightclub. Once you link your businesses, its technicians accrue product with no supply runs and a full warehouse sells for around $1.7M, plus about $50k popularity income. It earns while you do other things.
What should a beginner buy first?
The Acid Lab. It is cheap to unlock through the First Dose missions and has the best return on investment of any business. Fund it with the free Cluckin' Bell Farm Raid, then work toward the Kosatka for Cayo Perico.
What is the best weekly routine in GTA Online?
Since patch 1.73, open each weekly period with the first-completion bonuses: the Cluckin' Bell Farm Raid pays about $600k on its first run, and Mansion owners can add the Kortz Center Heist for roughly $2M or more solo. Then settle into Cayo Perico loops with your passive businesses producing underneath. GrindMap Pro includes a Session Planner that builds this route automatically from what you own, your session length, and the week's active bonuses.
How much money can you make per hour in GTA Online?
With an efficient Cayo Perico rotation, roughly $650k to $950k per hour since the patch 1.73 payout cuts. Over a longer session with a full rotation, $1.3M to $1.9M is realistic, plus the weekly Kortz premium and first-completion heist bonuses on top. Passive businesses add income while you play.
Does GrindMap cover GTA 6?
Yes. This page uses live GTA Online data. GrindMap also has a GTA 6 money planner that runs on pre-launch estimates now and switches to real, sourced data when GTA 6 launches on November 19, 2026.