How to Set Up an Advanced Economy on Your FiveM ESX Server
ESX Economy Fundamentals
ESX uses a society-based economy — businesses and gangs share bank accounts accessible to members with the right job grade. Players earn money through jobs (legal and illegal), can deposit in ATMs, and transfer to other players. The core economy plugins: es_extended (framework), esx_banking (bank system), esx_society (business/gang accounts), and esx_addonaccount (secondary accounts like 'black money'). Understanding this system is critical — most economy bugs come from misconfigured society accounts.
Configuring Job Salaries and Payouts
Each ESX job has a config file defining salaries and payouts. Edit esx_policejob/config.lua: set police salary (recommend € 200-400 per pay period). For civilian jobs: Taxi driver earns per fare (€ 50-200 based on distance), Mechanic earns per repair (€ 100-500 based on damage), Fisher sells fish (€ 10-50 per fish). Balance is critical: the average player should earn enough in 1 hour to buy basic gear (€ 1000-2000). Track the server's total money supply with an economy dashboard or database query.
Illegal Economy and Black Money
Illegal activities add depth to the economy. Common illegal jobs: drug harvesting/selling (weed, cocaine, meth), weapon crafting and selling, car boosting and chopping, and robbery (stores, banks, ATMs). Black money (washed through money laundering businesses) creates risk vs reward — illegal jobs pay more but carry consequences (fines, jail time, prison). Configure police seizure rates and jail fines to make crime profitable but risky.
Player-Owned Businesses
esx_society lets players own businesses with shared bank accounts. Popular businesses: mechanic shops, restaurants/bars, nightclubs, car dealerships, and gas stations. Owners set employee salaries and access levels. Configure business purchase costs (€ 50,000-500,000 depending on size) and daily operational costs (inventory, utilities). High business costs create long-term goals that keep players engaged for months.
Banking and Financial System
esx_banking provides ATMs, bank accounts, transfers, and loans. Configure ATM locations across the map — players should never be more than a 30-second drive from an ATM. Add bank interest (0.5-1% per pay period) to encourage saving. Configure loan limits and interest rates — small loans (€ 5,000) for new players, large loans (€ 100,000) for business purchases. Always require loan collateral or credit checks to prevent economy abuse.
Economy Monitoring and Anti-Cheat
Watch for economy exploits: money duplicating, negative bank balances, and SQL injection through money transfer scripts. Install an economy log (many free ones on GitHub) that tracks all transactions above € 1,000. Review logs weekly for suspicious patterns. Set up automatic Discord alerts for: transactions above € 50,000, players with bank balances exceeding € 10,000,000, and rapid-fire transfers (5+ transactions in 10 seconds).
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