GTA Online Counterfeit Cash Factory Guide 2026 | Best Profit Strategy, Solo & MC Tips
- Niels Gys
- 16 hours ago
- 6 min read
TL;DR – Counterfeit Cash Done Properly
Buy Cypress Flats. The others are scenic tours of suffering.
Purchase Equipment + Staff upgrades immediately. No upgrades = sad printer noises.
Buy supplies. Stealing them is volunteer work with extra driving.
Sell at 1.25 bars solo. Full stock alone is how you meet three delivery vans and your therapist.
Register as MC only inside the factory. Disband immediately after. Lingering = police cosplay event.
Own the Car Wash for the 35% boost if you want this business to actually matter.
Treat it as background income, not your main job. It’s the accountant, not the action movie star.
Follow that, and your counterfeit empire will hum along quietly in the background like a well-oiled crime machine.
Ignore it, and you’ll be on the side of the highway explaining to an NPC police officer why your delivery van smells like toner and broken dreams.
Your move.
Still running your empire with vibes and optimism?
Get a Royal Sovereign Money Counter Machine on Amazon and start slapping stacks like a proper villain. While you’re at it, grab a toy money gun that shoots fake cash and celebrate every sell mission like a B-movie crime boss.
Read our Best Way to Make Money in GTA Online 2026 hub before you embarrass yourself again.
How to Print Money Without Looking Like an Idiot
Ah yes. Counterfeit Cash. The business everyone buys because it’s cheap, then immediately runs like a confused intern with a broken printer and a dream.
Let me save you from that fate.
You are not here to roleplay Pablo Picasso with a laminator. You are here to extract money from Los Santos with the cold efficiency of a tax audit conducted by Satan.
So here is how you run Counterfeit Cash properly.
First: Buy the Right One, Not the One That Smells Like Despair
There are four locations. Three of them are mildly inconvenient. One of them is correct.
Buy Cypress Flats.
Why?
Because selling from Paleto Bay feels like launching a pizza delivery service from Greenland. Every sale becomes a cross-country expedition where NPC traffic is legally obligated to T-bone you at 40mph.
Cypress Flats keeps you close to civilization. Civilization being a place where griefers can still ruin your life, but at least you won’t need a packed lunch to finish a delivery.
Upgrades: If You Skip These, You Deserve Poverty
There are three upgrades.
Equipment
Staff
Security
Buy Equipment and Staff immediately.
Without them, your factory produces money at the pace of a Victorian child hand-copying the Bible.
With them, it produces faster and the final sell value increases. This is not optional. This is oxygen.
Security?
Security is like buying a bigger umbrella during a hurricane. It slightly delays the soaking. It does not stop the rain. If you follow my instructions about MC registration, you don’t need it immediately.
The Production Math, Explained Without Crying
Fully upgraded, your factory:
Takes about 5 hours and 20 minutes to fill
Sells remotely for about $294,000
Costs $150,000 in supplies to fill
That leaves roughly $144,000 profit per full cycle.
Yes. I can hear the dramatic music fade.
On its own, that’s about $27k per hour.
That’s not “private island” money. That’s “nice side hustle while you do actual money-making” money.
However…
If you own the Hands On Car Wash, your Counterfeit Cash sell value jumps by 35 percent.
Suddenly that $294,000 becomes almost $397,000.
Subtract supplies, and you’re sitting on about $247,000 profit per cycle.
Now we’re talking. Now the printer is no longer coughing up Monopoly money.
If your delivery van explodes more than your temper, perhaps invest in a Logitech G29 racing wheel so you can actually drive in a straight line. And yes, buy a pack of prop movie money stacks on Amazon so your desk finally matches your ego.
Check our MC Businesses Guide and stop treating Counterfeit Cash like it’s 2017.
The First Commandment of Counterfeit Cash
Do. Not. Stay. Registered. As. MC.
Only register while inside the factory to:
Buy supplies
Start a sell
Then disband.
Immediately.
If you roam free mode as an active MC with product sitting in your factory, the game sends the police to “inspect” your operation.
By inspect, I mean violently kick in the door like they’re auditioning for a reality show called Cops & Regrets.
You don’t get raided because the game hates you.
You get raided because you’re standing outside waving a giant sign that says:
“HELLO, I AM AN ILLEGAL BUSINESS OWNER.”
Disband MC. Always.
The Solo Strategy That Saves Your Sanity
If you are alone, do not sell full stock.
Sell at around 1.25 bars.
Why?
Because when you sell full stock solo, the game sometimes gives you multiple vehicles.
And unless you are secretly an octopus with a helicopter license, that becomes an athletic event.
Selling smaller batches:
Keeps missions single-vehicle most of the time
Reduces stress
Reduces the chance you scream at your monitor
You will sell more often, yes. But each sale takes minutes instead of emotional therapy.
Buy Supplies. Stop Playing Hero.
Stealing supplies might feel romantic.
It is not romantic.
It is unpaid overtime in your own criminal enterprise.
Buying supplies costs $75,000 per bar. It saves time. Time is money. Money is why we are here.
Steal only if you are financially desperate and eating EgoChasers for dinner.
The Correct Operating Loop (Solo)
Go to factory.
Register as MC inside.
Buy supplies.
Leave.
Disband MC.
Go make real money elsewhere.
Return when stock hits 1.25 bars.
Sell.
Disband MC again like a paranoid genius.
Repeat.
That is it.
No drama. No raids. No crying.
Multiplayer Strategy
With 2 to 4 players, you can comfortably sell larger stock because multiple vehicles become manageable.
But do not confuse “manageable” with “smart.”
Even with a crew, I prefer quicker sells and less exposure time. The longer you’re in a sell mission, the more likely someone on a flying motorcycle with commitment issues appears.
Is Counterfeit Cash Worth It?
Yes.
But only as a background business.
Counterfeit Cash is not your main character. It is the quiet accountant in the corner who quietly hands you extra money while you’re off doing bigger crimes.
Run it passively.
Upgrade it properly.
Buy supplies.
Sell smart.
Disband MC.
If you treat it like a primary income source, you’ll resent it.
If you treat it like a disciplined side hustle, it behaves.
Planning to “organize your operation”? Excellent. Start with a heavy duty fireproof document safe because nothing says criminal mastermind like proper storage. Add some white cotton inspection gloves for that authentic “I inspect my own illegal empire” energy.
Don’t forget the Weekly GTA Online Bonuses Guide so you only sell when Rockstar is actually paying you properly.
FAQ
Is Counterfeit Cash actually worth running in 2026? Yes, but only as a background earner. On its own it’s mid-tier money. Fully upgraded with bought supplies you’re looking at roughly 144k profit per full cycle. Add the 35 percent Car Wash boost and suddenly it becomes respectable. Treat it as passive income while you do bigger scores, not as your main hustle.
Should I steal supplies or buy them? Buy them. Stealing supplies feels heroic until you realize you just worked 20 minutes to save 75k. Time is money. If you’re broke, steal temporarily. The moment you can afford to buy, stop pretending you’re running a charity for yourself.
Why do I keep getting raided? Because you’re staying registered as MC while wandering around free roam like a walking confession. Register inside the factory, resupply or sell, then disband immediately. Raids drop dramatically when you stop advertising your crimes to the entire server.
Can I sell full stock solo? You can. You can also try juggling chainsaws. Selling full stock solo often spawns multiple vehicles. The smart solo move is selling around 1.25 bars to keep missions manageable and short. Less exposure time means fewer chances for chaos to arrive on a flying motorcycle.
Is the Security upgrade worth it? It reduces raid frequency but does not make you immune. If you forget to disband MC constantly, Security helps. If you follow the disband rule religiously, it becomes optional rather than essential.
What’s the single best way to run this business? Buy Cypress Flats. Get Equipment and Staff upgrades immediately. Buy supplies. Sell smaller batches solo. Disband MC every time. Own the Car Wash if you want the numbers to actually feel good. Run it in the background while you make real money elsewhere.
