Wiki · The Economy

Money & Banking

Two kinds of money, one bank, and a whole laundry operation for the cash you'd rather not explain. Understand the flow and a single bad fight will never wipe out your fortune.

Two Kinds of Money

Life has two completely separate currencies. Knowing which is which is the difference between losing everything in a shootout and shrugging it off.

Cash
Drops when you die
Bank
Safe when you die
$1,500
Starting bank balance

Carried cash

The physical notes in your inventory. It's the main currency for many NPC merchants, and it's what robberies and player-to-player deals use. You also need carried cash to upgrade furnaces, and some risky vendors expect it up front. It behaves like any other item — if you die, it drops with your body for anyone to grab. Never walk around with more than you're willing to lose.

Bank balance

An abstract number tied to your account. It pays for vehicles and property, and legal job pay lands there when you hand work in. It can't be lost when you die. Every player has a bank cap that VIP tiers and staff can raise. New players start with $1,500 in the bank.

The Bank & ATM

Open an ATM from a bank terminal to bring up the Lazarus Bank screen. Every major town has one. From here you can:

  • Deposit — move carried cash into your safe bank balance.
  • Withdraw — pull bank money out as physical cash.
  • Transfer — send bank money to another player (you can't transfer to yourself).

There are no fees, though standard cash deposits are capped at $20,000 every 6 hours and bank transfers are capped at $7,500 every 6 hours. The ATM also doubles as free storage — you can stash valuable items inside it at no cost, no rent, ever.

Habit of the richBank your earnings the moment you're near an ATM. Carry only what you need for your next purchase or job.

Dirty Cash & Laundering

Crime doesn't pay you in clean money. Illegal income — drug sales, robberies, gang missions — arrives as dirty cash. You can clean a limited amount through ATM deposits, but larger stacks need laundering before they become safe bank money.

There are three ways to wash it clean:

  1. Property launder-boxesA business property's launder box turns dirty cash clean on a timed cycle. The rate depends on the business type, with stronger businesses cleaning more per cycle. See Property.
  2. Captured police checkpointsHolding a checkpoint cleans money while you control it. See Checkpoints & Patrols.
  3. Gang laundering missionsRun laundering jobs from a gang hideout to process bigger sums.
"Dirty Relics" aren't dirty cashDespite the name, selling relics pays clean money you can use right away — no laundering needed. The "dirty" just means the relic itself needs processing at a recycler before you can sell it.

Money Tips

  • The only true "tax" on legitimate money is 10% when you resell a property to another player.
  • Transfers can't be sent to yourself — use deposit/withdraw to move your own money.
  • A business property quietly earns you commission from nearby activity, straight to your bank. It's the closest thing to passive income.
  • VIP tiers raise your bank cap and add a recurring paycheck — see the Perks page.