GTA Online: Fairest Heist Payout Percentages

[UPDATED for Criminal Enterprises Update] How much money should each crew member actually receive from a GTA:Online heist finale? Hopefully this guide will show you just how much a fair amount is for each heist and give a little guidance on how to split each heist differently.

PSA: Criminal Enterprises Update

The Criminal Enterprises update (released 26/07/2022) brought many changes to almost every heist, notably by increasing the setup payouts by 50% and the heist finale payouts by 50-75%.

This guide has been updated to reflect these changes. However, the maths has been done based on the figures given by Rockstar.

There is a chance that the actual increases don't exactly match the numbers quoted by Rockstar.

So please, if you notice any major differences between the numbers in this guide and what you receive in-game, let me know! Either leave a comment or add me on Steam.
Any assistance will be much appreciated!

Introduction

It's a question that has resulted in many a disgruntled host, dead lobby or griefed heist:

"What is a fair cut for host and crew when doing a heist?"

This is a quick guide for hosts and crew members alike to see the fairest split of money for each heist.

Currently this guide focuses on the original 5 heists and the Doomsday Heist.

You can navigate to the information for each heist using the Guide Index or view the TLDR Section for a quick (but simplified) reference.

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For each heist there's a breakdown of Suggested Heist Splits that offer the fairest "fit" with the lowest percentage discrepancy in the total earnings between host and crew.
They look like this:

Difficulty	Split	Host Profit	Crew Profit	Difference	Difference %
Easy	40-20-20-20	$115,00	$115,600	-$600 (Crew benefits)	-0.52%

"40-20-20-20" in the example above means that the host receives 40% and each of the 3 crew members receive 20% each. With that setup in the example above, the host would recieve only $600 less than the crew - pretty good!

Optionally, below the Suggested Heist Splits is a Numerical Explanation section with all the data you need to understand why the recommended splits are the way that they are.

Hopefully it's fairly intuitive to understand but if not, it's all explained in much more detail in the How To Work Out These Percentage Splits section!

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Why is this an issue in the first place?

Heists consist of multiple setup missions plus a heist finale. The heist finale is where the big payout happens and the host must distribute the percentage of the loot that each player receives prior to starting.

There's a catch. The reward can only be distributed in chunks of 5%, so you can't really fine-tune the amounts. On top of this, the host pays a setup fee to start the heist and does not receive any payments from doing the setup missions (while the crew do) - this means that the host always needs a larger share of the heist finale reward to be on-par with their crew.

The TLDR

Some heists, in particular the Doomsday Heist, have multiple viable splits or splits that change based on other variables in the heist. It's worth checking out the specific section in this guide but here's a quick reference if that's all you're here for.

Just please bear in mind that a TLDR is never going to be correct every time.

The Original Pentalogy


The Doomsday Heist (All Acts)


How Has This Changed From Before The Criminal Enterprises Update?
Actually not much. 40-20-20-20 and (to a lesser extent) 55-15-15-15 were seen as the standards before. The fact that setup fees have been reduced means that 55-15-15-15 is generally less desirable than before. 40-20-20-20 should probably be your go-to unless otherwise specified in this guide.

Assumptions

There are 2 main assumptions that this guide is based on at this time:

1. All heists are played on the same difficulty for the setup missions and the finale.
   
   • Making this guide for a whole host of different combinations of difficulties would be too convoluted. There is a section at the end of this guide on how to work out the figures for yourself which you should follow if you are mixing and matching difficulties. Most public games you run into are all on normal difficulty in any case.
2. Setup mission rewards...
   
   • The values are all accurate to what you will receive in-game although there do seem to be occasions that I notice while playing that the amount fluctuates (only ever by $500). I'm not quite sure why this happens but given that you will also receive money for any setups that you fail, that more than balances it out.

The other point to note is that I have included the payments given to crew members during the heist setup missions. This shouldn't be rocket science but as a crew member joining a heist finale you have either completed the necessary setup missions and so will get as much as the host at the end of the heist (since the host recieves no payment for setup missions) or you have not invested the time in doing the setup missions and do not deserve the same amount as the heist leader at the end of the heist.

The Fleeca Job

Note: Rockstar have said that all heist setup costs are being reduced to $25,000 with the Criminal Enterprises update. Since The Fleeca Job setup only originally cost $11,450 I am assuming it is unchanged. This requires verification in-game.

The Fleeca Job received a +75% buff to it's finale reward in addition to the +50% setup mission payout as part of the Criminal Enterprises update. These figures have been updated to reflect that.

Heist Details

• Heist Setup Cost: $11,450
  
• Number of Setup Missions: 1 (+ intro setup)
  
• Number of Players: 2
  
• Heist Finale Payout:
  
  • Easy: $99,750
    
  • Normal: $201,250
    
  • Hard: $251,125
• Heist Setup Mission Payout:
  
  • Easy: $6,555
    
  • Normal: $13,110
    
  • Hard: $16,388

Suggested Heist Split

• On Easy difficulty, 60-40 is the optimal split.
  
• On Normal and Hard difficulties, 55-45 is the optimal split.

Potential Fair Split Details

Difficulty	Split	Host Profit	Crew Profit	Difference	Difference %
Easy	60-40	$48,400	$46,455	$1,945 (Host benefits)	4.02%
Normal	55-45	$99,238	$103,673	-$4,435 (Crew benefits)	-4.47%
Hard	55-45	$126,669	$129,394	-$2,726 (Crew benefits)	-2.15%

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Numerical Explanation

The figures above under Suggested Heist Split offer the fairest "fit" with the lowest percentage discrepancy in the total earnings between host and crew. Given that we can only assign payments in chunks of 5%, sometimes it's impossible to divide the payment between all players in a way that gives everybody an equal payment (See Introduction & How To Work Out These Percentage Splits).

Luckily, for this heist, the payout percentage can be divided exactly between 2 players while covering the "expenses" of the host. Here's the breakdown:

Host Expenses As Percentage of Finale Reward

Difficulty	Setup Fee	Missed Setup Payments	Total
Easy	11.48%	6.57%	18.05%
Normal	5.69%	6.51%	12.20%
Hard	4.56%	6.53%	11.09%

Percentage Cut for All Players to Receive Equal Payment
With a remaining excess percentage to be distributed by the host.

% Cut	Easy	Normal	Hard
Host	18.05+40 = 60%	12.20+45= 55%	11.09+45 = 55%
Crew	40%	45%	45%
Excess	0%	0%	0%

The Prison Break

Note: The Prison Break Heist received a +75% buff to it's finale reward in addition to the +50% setup mission payout as part of the Criminal Enterprises update. These figures have been updated to reflect that.

Heist Details

• Heist Setup Cost: $25,000
  
• Number of Setup Missions: 4
  
• Number of Players: 4
  
• Heist Finale Payout:
  
  • Easy: $350,000
    
  • Normal: $700,000
    
  • Hard: $875,000
• Heist Setup Mission Payout:
  
  • Easy: $11,400
    
  • Normal: $22,800
    
  • Hard: $28,500

Suggested Heist Split

• On Easy, Normal and Hard difficulties, 40-20-20-20 is the optimal split.

Potential Fair Split Details

Difficulty	Split	Host Profit	Crew Profit	Difference	Difference %
Easy	40-20-20-20	$115,00	$115,600	-$600 (Crew benefits)	-0.52%
Normal	40-20-20-20	$255,000	$231,200	$23,800 (Host benefits)	9.33%
Hard	40-20-20-20	$325,000	$289,000	$36,000 (Host benefits)	11.08%

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Numerical Explanation

The figures above under Suggested Heist Split offer the fairest "fit" with the lowest percentage discrepancy in the total earnings between host and crew. Given that we can only assign payments in chunks of 5%, sometimes it's impossible to divide the payment between all players in a way that gives everybody an equal payment (See Introduction & How To Work Out These Percentage Splits).

This heist cannot always be divided exactly between players - trying to do so leaves an "excess" as shown below:

Host Expenses As Percentage of Finale Reward

Difficulty	Setup Fee	Missed Setup Payments	Total
Easy	7.14%	13.03%	20.17%
Normal	3.57%	13.03%	16.60%
Hard	2.86%	13.03%	15.89%

Percentage Cut for All Players to Receive Equal Payment
With a remaining excess percentage to be distributed by the host.

% Cut	Easy	Normal	Hard
Host	20.17+20 = 40%	16.60+20= 35%	15.89+20 = 35%
Crew	20%	20%	20%
Excess	0%	5%	5%

The Humane Labs Raid

Note: The Humane Labs Raid received a +75% buff to it's finale reward in addition to the +50% setup mission payout as part of the Criminal Enterprises update. These figures have been updated to reflect that.

Heist Details

• Heist Setup Cost: $25,000
  
• Number of Setup Missions: 5
  
• Number of Players: 4
  
• Heist Finale Payout:
  
  • Easy: $472,000
    
  • Normal: $945,000
    
  • Hard: $1,181,250
• Heist Setup Mission Payout:
  
  • Easy: $15,390
    
  • Normal: $30,780
    
  • Hard: $38,475

Suggested Heist Split

• On Easy, Normal and Hard difficulties, 40-20-20-20 is the optimal split.

Potential Fair Split Details

Difficulty	Split	Host Profit	Crew Profit	Difference	Difference %
Easy	40-20-20-20	$164,000	$171,450	-$7,450 (Crew benefits)	-4.54%
Normal	40-20-20-20	$353,000	$342,900	$10,100 (Host benefits)	2.86%
Hard	40-20-20-20	$447,500	$428,625	$18,875 (Host benefits)	4.22%

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Numerical Explanation

The figures above under Suggested Heist Split offer the fairest "fit" with the lowest percentage discrepancy in the total earnings between host and crew. Given that we can only assign payments in chunks of 5%, sometimes it's impossible to divide the payment between all players in a way that gives everybody an equal payment (See Introduction & How To Work Out These Percentage Splits).

Luckily, for this heist, the payout percentage can be divided exactly between 4 players while covering the "expenses" of the host. Here's the breakdown:

Host Expenses As Percentage of Finale Reward

Difficulty	Setup Fee	Missed Setup Payments	Total
Easy	5.29%	16.29%	21.58%
Normal	2.65%	16.29%	18.93%
Hard	2.12%	16.29%	18.40%

Percentage Cut for All Players to Receive Equal Payment
With a remaining excess percentage to be distributed by the host.

% Cut	Easy	Normal	Hard
Host	21.58+20 = 40%	18.93+20= 40%	18.40+20 = 40%
Crew	20%	20%	20%
Excess	0%	0%	0%

Series A Funding

Note: The Series A Funding Heist received a +75% buff to it's finale reward in addition to the +50% setup mission payout as part of the Criminal Enterprises update. These figures have been updated to reflect that.

Heist Details

• Heist Setup Cost: $25,000
  
• Number of Setup Missions: 5
  
• Number of Players: 4
  
• Heist Finale Payout:
  
  • Easy: $353,500
    
  • Normal: $707,000
    
  • Hard: $883,750
• Heist Setup Mission Payout:
  
  • Easy: $11,514
    
  • Normal: $23,028
    
  • Hard: $28,785

Suggested Heist Split

• On Easy, Normal and Hard difficulties, 40-20-20-20 is the optimal split.

Potential Fair Split Details

Difficulty	Split	Host Profit	Crew Profit	Difference	Difference %
Easy	40-20-20-20	$116,400	$128,270	-$11,870 (Crew benefits)	-10.20%
Normal	40-20-20-20	$257,800	$256,540	$1,260 (Host benefits)	0.49%
Hard	40-20-20-20	$328,500	$320,675	$7,825 (Host benefits)	2.38%

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Numerical Explanation

The figures above under Suggested Heist Split offer the fairest "fit" with the lowest percentage discrepancy in the total earnings between host and crew. Given that we can only assign payments in chunks of 5%, sometimes it's impossible to divide the payment between all players in a way that gives everybody an equal payment (See Introduction & How To Work Out These Percentage Splits).

This heist cannot always be divided exactly between players - trying to do so leaves an "excess" as shown below:

Host Expenses As Percentage of Finale Reward

Difficulty	Setup Fee	Missed Setup Payments	Total
Easy	7.07%	16.29%	23.36%
Normal	3.54%	16.29%	19.82%
Hard	2.83%	16.29%	19.11%

Percentage Cut for All Players to Receive Equal Payment
With a remaining excess percentage to be distributed by the host.

% Cut	Easy	Normal	Hard
Host	23.36+15 = 40%	19.82+20= 40%	19.11+20 = 40%
Crew	15%	20%	20%
Excess	15%	0%	0%

The Pacific Standard Job

Note: The Pacific Standard Job received a +50% buff to it's finale reward in addition to the +50% setup mission payout as part of the Criminal Enterprises update. These figures have been updated to reflect that.

The Pacific Standard Job is a little different from the other heists. Every time a crew member carrying a money bag takes damage, money is lost. This means that in practice you are unlikely to receive the full payout. There are strategies to optimise the amount of money you keep but since these can change (and I don't keep up with them), I won't detail anything here. Needless to say, the amount of money you take home from this heist will depend heavily on your teammates - no pressure!


It's important to note that there's no guarantee of getting a certain payout and that if you get less than expected from the finale it is the host who loses out disproportionately. This is because 100% of the host's reward comes from the finale - they have not been picking up the guaranteed setup mission payouts that the crew have.


I have calculated several different splits below for the various difficulties based on runs where you take home 100%, 90%, 80% & 70% of the potential reward. It is very possible to take home worse than that if you really ♥♥♥♥ up so for fun I've also included the numbers for a 50% run.

Heist Details

• Heist Setup Cost: $25,000
  
• Number of Setup Missions: 5
  
• Number of Players: 4
  
• Heist Finale Payout:
  
  • Easy: Up to $750,000
    
  • Normal: Up to $1,500,000
    
  • Hard: Up to $1,875,000
• Heist Setup Mission Payout:
  
  • Easy: $15,675
    
  • Normal: $31,350
    
  • Hard: $39,188

Suggested Heist Split

• On Easy, Normal and Hard difficulties, 40-20-20-20 is the optimal split as long as you aren't losing much over 50% of the potential payout (which should be every time!).
  
• If you are getting 50% or less payout on Easy, 55-15-15-15 is an option.

Potential Fair Split Details

Difficulty	Split	Host Profit	Crew Profit	Difference	Difference %
Easy (100%)	40-20-20-20	$275,000	$228,375	$46,625 (Host benefits)	22.04%
Easy (90%)	40-20-20-20	$245,000	$213,375	$31,625 (Host benefits)	12.91%
Easy (80%)	40-20-20-20	$215,000	$198,375	$16,625 (Host benefits)	7.73%
Easy (70%)	40-20-20-20	$185,000	$183,375	$1,625 (Host benefits)	0.88%
Easy (50%)	40-20-20-20	$125,000	$153,375	-$28,375 (Crew benefits)	-22.70%
Easy (50%)	55-15-15-15	$181,250	$134,625	$46,625 (Host benefits)	25.72%

Difficulty	Split	Host Profit	Crew Profit	Difference	Difference %
Normal (100%)	40-20-20-20	$575,000	$456,750	$118,250 (Host benefits)	20.57%
Normal (90%)	40-20-20-20	$515,000	$426,750	$88,250 (Host benefits)	17.14%
Normal (80%)	40-20-20-20	$455,000	$396,750	$58,250 (Host benefits)	12.80%
Normal (70%)	40-20-20-20	$395,000	$366,750	$28,250 (Host benefits)	7.15%
Normal (50%)	40-20-20-20	$275,000	$306,750	-$31,750 (Crew benefits)	-11.55%

Difficulty	Split	Host Profit	Crew Profit	Difference	Difference %
Hard (100%)	40-20-20-20	$725,000	$570,940	$154,060 (Host benefits)	21.25%
Hard (90%)	40-20-20-20	$650,000	$533,440	$116,560 (Host benefits)	17.93%
Hard (80%)	40-20-20-20	$575,000	$495,940	$79,060 (Host benefits)	13.75%
Hard (70%)	40-20-20-20	$500,000	$458,440	$41,560 (Host benefits)	8.31%
Hard (50%)	40-20-20-20	$350,000	$383,440	-$33,440 (Crew benefits)	-9.55%

Note: Although you might notice that the host seems to get a much larger payout with 40-20-20-20 for most scenarios, switching to 25-25-25-25 produces a less fair outcome.

E.g. Hard (100%) at 40-20-20-20 gives the host $154,060 more than the crew. Hard (100%) at 25-25-25-25 would result in the host getting $220,940 less than the crew

The Pacific Standard Job (Continued)

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Numerical Explanation

The figures above under Suggested Heist Split offer the fairest "fit" with the lowest percentage discrepancy in the total earnings between host and crew. Given that we can only assign payments in chunks of 5%, sometimes it's impossible to divide the payment between all players in a way that gives everybody an equal payment (See Introduction & How To Work Out These Percentage Splits).

This heist cannot always be divided exactly between players - trying to do so leaves an "excess" as shown below:

Host Expenses As Percentage of Finale Reward

Difficulty	Setup Fee	Missed Setup Payments	Total
Easy (100%)	3.33%	10.45%	13.78%
Easy (90%)	3.70%	11.61%	15.31%
Easy (80%)	4.17%	13.06%	17.23%
Easy (70%)	4.76%	14.93%	19.69%
Easy (50%)	6.67%	20.90%	27.57%

Difficulty	Setup Fee	Missed Setup Payments	Total
Normal (100%)	1.67%	10.45%	12.12%
Normal (90%)	1.85%	11.61%	13.46%
Normal (80%)	2.08%	13.06%	15.15%
Normal (70%)	2.38%	14.93%	17.31%
Normal (50%)	3.33%	20.90%	24.23%

Difficulty	Setup Fee	Missed Setup Payments	Total
Hard (100%)	1.33%	10.45%	11.78%
Hard (90%)	1.48%	11.61%	13.09%
Hard (80%)	1.67%	13.06%	14.73%
Hard (70%)	1.90%	14.93%	16.83%
Hard (50%)	2.67%	20.90%	23.57%

Percentage Cut for All Players to Receive Equal Payment
With a remaining excess percentage to be distributed by the host.

% Cut	Easy (100%)	Easy (90%)	Easy (80%)	Easy (70%)	Easy (50%)
Host	13.78+20 = 35%	15.31+20 = 35%	17.23+20 = 35%	19.69+20 = 40%	27.57+15 = 45%
Crew	20%	20%	20%	20%	15%
Excess	5%	5%	5%	0%	10%

% Cut	Normal (100%)	Normal (90%)	Normal (80%)	Normal (70%)	Normal (50%)
Host	12.12+20 = 30%	13.46+20 = 35%	15.15+20 = 35%	17.31+20 = 35%	24.23+15 = 40%
Crew	20%	20%	20%	20%	15%
Excess	10%	5%	5%	5%	15%

% Cut	Hard (100%)	Hard (90%)	Hard (80%)	Hard (70%)	Hard (50%)
Host	11.78+20 = 30%	13.09+20 = 35%	14.73+20 = 35%	16.83+20 = 35%	23.57+15 = 40%
Crew	20%	20%	20%	20%	15%
Excess	10%	5%	5%	5%	15%

The Doomsday Heist Overview

Note: All Acts of the Doomsday Heist have received a +50% buff to their finale reward in addition to the +50% setup mission payout as part of the Criminal Enterprises update. These figures have been updated to reflect that.

The Doomsday Heists are slightly different from the original 5 heists above in that they have both Preparation and Setup missions. They can also be done with anywhere from 2-4 players and do not have an easy difficulty mode.

• Preparation missions are done in free-roam and do not reward a payout for any crew who assist you. These can be skipped for $94,500 each.
  
• Setup missions are identical to the setup missions in earlier heists, awarding a payout for crew but not the host.

Due to this, the calculations below will include 2, 3 & 4 player runs. I will also include runs where all preparations are skipped and runs where no preparations are skipped.

If you want to pay to skip some but not all of the preparations then you'll have to either make an educated guess from the suggestions provided or work out the figures for your specific case. You can do this by using the method provided in the How These Percentages Are Worked Out section of this guide.

The Doomsday Heist Act 1: The Data Breaches

Heist Details

• Heist Setup Cost: $25,000
  
• Number of Setup Missions: 3
  
• Number of Preparation Missions: 3
  
• Number of Players: 2-4
  
• Heist Finale Payout:
  
  • Normal: $975,000
    
  • Hard: $1,218,000
• Heist Setup Mission Payout:
  
  • Normal: $39,000
    
  • Hard: $48,750

Suggested Heist Split

• For 2 players on either difficulty 55-45 is optimal without skipping preparations. 70-30 is optimal with skipping preparations.
  
• There are other viable options for 2 players on either difficulty. See below.
  
• For 3 players on either difficulty 40-30-30 is optimal without skipping preparations. 60-20-20 is optimal with skipping preparations.
  
• For 4 players on either difficulty 40-20-20-20 is optimal without skipping preparations. 55-15-15-15 is optimal with skipping preparations.

Potential Fair Split Details (2 Players)

Difficulty	Preps Skipped	Split	Host Profit	Crew Profit	Difference	Difference %
Normal	None	55-45	$511,250	$555,750	-$44,500 (Crew benefits)	-8.70%
Normal	None	60-40	$560,000	$507,000	$53,000 (Host benefits)	9.46%
Normal	All (3)	70-30	$374,000	$409,500	-$35,500 (Crew benefits)	-9.49%
Normal	All (3)	75-25	$422,750	$360,750	$62,000 (Host benefits)	14.67%
Hard	None	55-45	$644,900	$694,350	-$49,450 (Crew benefits)	-7.67%
Hard	None	60-40	$705,800	$633,450	$72,350 (Host benefits)	10.25%
Hard	All (3)	70-30	$544,100	$511,650	$32,450 (Host benefits)	5.96%

Potential Fair Split Details (3 Players)

Difficulty	Preps Skipped	Split	Host Profit	Crew Profit	Difference	Difference %
Normal	None	40-30-30	$365,000	$409,500	-$44,500 (Crew benefits)	-12.19%
Normal	All (3)	60-20-20	$276,500	$312,000	-$35,500 (Crew benefits)	-12.84%
Hard	None	40-30-30	$462,200	$511,650	-$49,450 (Crew benefits)	-10.70%
Hard	All (3)	60-20-20	$422,300	$389,850	$32,450 (Host benefits)	7.68%

Potential Fair Split Details (4 Players)

Difficulty	Preps Skipped	Split	Host Profit	Crew Profit	Difference	Difference %
Normal	None	40-20-20-20	$365,000	$312,000	$53,000 (Host benefits)	14.52%
Normal	All (3)	55-15-15-15	$227,750	$263,250	-$35,500 (Crew benefits)	-15.59%
Hard	None	40-20-20-20	$462,200	$389,850	$72,350 (Host benefits)	15.65%
Hard	All (3)	55-15-15-15	$361,400	$328,950	$32,450 (Host benefits)	8.98%

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Numerical Explanation

The figures above under Suggested Heist Split offer the fairest "fit" with the lowest percentage discrepancy in the total earnings between host and crew. Given that we can only assign payments in chunks of 5%, sometimes it's impossible to divide the payment between all players in a way that gives everybody an equal payment (See Introduction & How To Work Out These Percentage Splits).

This heist cannot always be divided exactly between players - trying to do so leaves an "excess" as shown below:

Host Expenses As Percentage of Finale Reward

Difficulty	Preparations Skipped	Setup Fee	Missed Setup Payments	Charge for Skipping Preparations	Total
Normal	None	2.56%	12.00%	0%	14.56%
Normal	All (3)	2.56%	12.00%	29.08%	43.64%
Hard	None	2.05%	12.01%	0%	14.06%
Hard	All (3)	2.05%	12.01%	23.28%	37.34%

Percentage Cut for All Players to Receive Equal Payment (2 Player)

% Cut	Normal (No Skip)	Normal (Skip Preps)	Hard (No Skip)	Hard (Skip Preps)
Host	14.56+40 = 55%	43.64+25 = 70%	14.06+40 = 55%	37.34+30 = 70%
Crew	40%	25%	40%	30%
Excess	5%	5%	5%	0%

Percentage Cut for All Players to Receive Equal Payment (3 Player)

% Cut	Normal (No Skip)	Normal (Skip Preps)	Hard (No Skip)	Hard (Skip Preps)
Host	14.56+25 = 40%	43.64+15 = 60%	14.06+25 = 40%	37.34+20 = 70%
Crew	25%	15%	25%	20%
Excess	10%	10%	10%	0%

Percentage Cut for All Players to Receive Equal Payment (4 Player)

% Cut	Normal (No Skip)	Normal (Skip Preps)	Hard (No Skip)	Hard (Skip Preps)
Host	14.56+20 = 35%	43.64+10 = 55%	14.06+20 = 35%	37.34+15 = 50%
Crew	20%	10%	20%	15%
Excess	5%	15%	5%	5%

The Doomsday Heist Act 2: The Bogdan Problem

Heist Details

• Heist Setup Cost: $25,000
  
• Number of Setup Missions: 4
  
• Number of Preparation Missions: 5
  
• Number of Players: 2-4
  
• Heist Finale Payout:
  
  • Normal: $1,425,000
    
  • Hard: $1,781,250
• Heist Setup Mission Payout:
  
  • Normal: $42,750
    
  • Hard: $53,445

Suggested Heist Split

• For 2 players on either difficulty 55-45 is optimal without skipping preparations. When skipping all preparations, 75-25 is optimal on Normal and 70-30 is optimal on Hard.
  
• There are other viable options for 2 players on either difficulty. See below.
  
• For 3 players on either difficulty 40-30-30 is optimal without skipping preparations. When skipping all preparations, 60-20-20 is optimal on either difficulty with 70-15-15 being equally viable on Normal.
  
• For 4 players on either difficulty 40-20-20-20 is optimal without skipping preparations. 55-15-15-15 is optimal on either difficulty when skipping all preparations.

Potential Fair Split Details (2 Players)

Difficulty	Preps Skipped	Split	Host Profit	Crew Profit	Difference	Difference %
Normal	None	55-45	$758,750	$812,250	-$53,500 (Crew benefits)	-7.05%
Normal	None	60-40	$830,000	$741,000	$89,000 (Host benefits)	10.72%
Normal	All (5)	75-25	$571,250	$527,250	$44,000 (Host benefits)	7.70%
Hard	None	55-45	$954,688	$1,015,343	-$60,655 (Crew benefits)	-6.35%
Hard	None	60-40	$1,043,750	$926,280	$117,470 (Host benefits)	11.25%
Hard	All (5)	70-30	$749,375	$748,155	$1,220 (Host benefits)	0.16%

Potential Fair Split Details (3 Players)

Difficulty	Preps Skipped	Split	Host Profit	Crew Profit	Difference	Difference %
Normal	None	40-30-30	$545,000	$598,500	-$53,500 (Crew benefits)	-9.82%
Normal	All (5)	70-15-15	$500,000	$384,750	$115,250 (Host benefits)	23.05%
Normal	All (5)	60-20-20	$357,500	$456,000	-$98,500 (Crew benefits)	-27.55%
Hard	None	40-30-30	$687,500	$748,155	-$60,655 (Crew benefits)	-8.82%
Hard	All (5)	60-20-20	$571,250	$570,030	$1,220 (Host benefits)	0.21%

Potential Fair Split Details (4 Players)

Difficulty	Preps Skipped	Split	Host Profit	Crew Profit	Difference	Difference %
Normal	None	40-20-20-20	$545,000	$456,000	$89,000 (Host benefits)	16.33%
Normal	All (5)	55-15-15-15	$286,250	$384,750	-$98,500 (Crew benefits)	-34.41%
Hard	None	40-20-20-20	$687,500	$570,030	$117,470 (Host benefits)	17.09%
Hard	All (5)	55-15-15-15	$482,188	$480,968	$1,220 (Host benefits)	0.25%

Note: 70-10-10-10 may have been a fair alternative for Normal (4 player) when skipping preparations but it is not possible as the minimum crew split as of the Criminal Enterprises update is 15%.

---

Numerical Explanation

The figures above under Suggested Heist Split offer the fairest "fit" with the lowest percentage discrepancy in the total earnings between host and crew.

This heist cannot always be divided exactly between players - trying to do so leaves an "excess" as shown below:

Host Expenses As Percentage of Finale Reward

Difficulty	Preparations Skipped	Setup Fee	Missed Setup Payments	Charge for Skipping Preparations	Total
Normal	None	1.75%	12.00%	0%	13.75%
Normal	All (5)	1.75%	12.00%	33.16%	46.91%
Hard	None	1.40%	12.00%	0%	13.41%
Hard	All (5)	1.40%	12.00%	26.53%	39.93%

Percentage Cut for All Players to Receive Equal Payment (2 Player)

% Cut	Normal (No Skip)	Normal (Skip Preps)	Hard (No Skip)	Hard (Skip Preps)
Host	13.75+40 = 55%	46.91+25 = 70%	13.41+40 = 55%	39.93+30 = 70%
Crew	40%	25%	40%	30%
Excess	5%	5%	5%	0%

Percentage Cut for All Players to Receive Equal Payment (3 Player)

% Cut	Normal (No Skip)	Normal (Skip Preps)	Hard (No Skip)	Hard (Skip Preps)
Host	13.75+25 = 40%	46.91+15 = 60%	13.41+25 = 40%	39.93+20 = 60%
Crew	25%	15%	25%	20%
Excess	10%	10%	10%	0%

Percentage Cut for All Players to Receive Equal Payment (4 Player)

% Cut	Normal (No Skip)	Normal (Skip Preps)	Hard (No Skip)	Hard (Skip Preps)
Host	13.75+20 = 35%	46.91+10 = 55%	13.41+20 = 35%	39.93+15 = 55%
Crew	20%	10%	20%	15%
Excess	5%	15%	5%	0%

The Doomsday Heist Act 3: The Doomsday Scenario

For the finale of Act 3, you will need to chose to use either the Khanjali Tank or the Barrage ATV.
Whichever vehicle you don't use is sold at the end of the heist with all proceeds going to the host.

Heist Details

• Heist Setup Cost: $25,000
  
• Number of Setup Missions: 5
  
• Number of Preparation Missions: 6
  
• Number of players: 2-4
  
• Heist Finale Payout:
  
  • Normal: $1,800,000
    
  • Hard: $2,250,000
• Heist Setup Mission Payout:
  
  • Normal: $54,000
    
  • Hard: $67,500
• Heist Options:
  
  • Use Khanjali: +$50,000 to Host
    
  • Use Barrage: +$100,000 to Host

Suggested Heist Split

• For 2 players there are many viable splits depending on your exact setup. Please check the table!
  
• Common splits for 2 players for either difficulty are 55-45 when not skipping all preparations and 70-30 when skipping all preparations.
  
• For 3 players on either difficulty 40-30-30 is optimal without skipping preparations. 60-20-20 is optimal on either difficulty when skipping all preparations.
  
• For 4 players on either difficulty 40-20-20-20 is optimal without skipping preparations. 55-15-15-15 is optimal on either difficulty when skipping all preparations.

Potential Fair Split Details (2 Players)

Difficulty	Preps Skpd	Vhcl Used	Split	Host Profit	Crew Profit	Difference	Diff. %
Normal	None	Barrage	55-45	$1,065,000	$1,080,000	-$15,000 (Crew benefits)	-1.41%
Normal	None	Khanjali	55-45	$1,015,000	$1,080,000	-$65,000 (Crew benefits)	-6.40%
Normal	None	Khanjali	60-40	$1,105,000	$990,000	$115,000 (Host benefits)	10.41%
Normal	All (6)	Barrage	70-30	$768,000	$810,000	-$42,000 (Crew benefits)	-5.47%
Normal	All (6)	Khanjali	75-25	$808,000	$720,000	$88,000 (Host benefits)	10.89%
Normal	All (6)	Khanjali	70-30	$718,000	$810,000	-$92,000 (Crew benefits)	-12.81%
Hard	None	Barrage	55-45	$1,312,500	$1,350,000	-$37,500 (Crew benefits)	-2.86%
Hard	None	Khanjali	55-45	$1,262,500	$1,350,000	-$87,500 (Crew benefits)	-6.93%
Hard	None	Khanjali	55-45	$1,262,500	$1,350,000	-$87,500 (Crew benefits)	-6.93%
Hard	None	Khanjali	60-40	$1,375,000	$1,237,500	$137,500 (Host benefits)	10.00%
Hard	All (6)	Barrage	70-30	$1,083,000	$1,012,500	$70,500 (Host benefits)	6.51%
Hard	All (6)	Khanjali	70-30	$1,033,000	$1,012,500	$20,500 (Host benefits)	1.98%

Potential Fair Split Details (3 Players)

Difficulty	Preps Skpd	Vhcl Used	Split	Host Profit	Crew Profit	Difference	Diff. %
Normal	None	Barrage	40-30-30	$795,000	$810,000	-$15,000 (Crew benefits)	-1.89%
Normal	None	Khanjali	40-30-30	$745,000	$810,000	-$65,000 (Crew benefits)	-8.72%
Normal	All (6)	Barrage	60-20-20	$588,000	$630,000	-$42,000 (Crew benefits)	-7.14%
Normal	All (6)	Khanjali	60-20-20	$538,000	$630,000	-$92,000 (Crew benefits)	-17.10%
Hard	None	Barrage	40-30-30	$975,000	$1,012,500	-$37,500 (Crew benefits)	-3.85%
Hard	None	Khanjali	40-30-30	$925,000	$1,012,500	-$87,500 (Crew benefits)	-9.46%
Hard	All (6)	Barrage	60-20-20	$858,000	$787,500	$70,500 (Host benefits)	8.22%
Hard	All (6)	Khanjali	60-20-20	$808,000	$787,500	$20,500 (Host benefits)	2.54%

Potential Fair Split Details (4 Players)

Dfclty	Preps Skpd	Vhcl Used	Split	Host Prfit	Crew Prfit	Difference	Diff. %
Normal	None	Barrage	40-20-20-20	$795,000	$630,000	$165,000 (Host benefits)	20.75%
Normal	None	Khanjali	40-20-20-20	$745,000	$630,000	$115,000 (Host benefits)	15.44%
Normal	All (6)	Barrage	55-15-15-15	$498,000	$540,000	-$42,000 (Crew benefits)	-8.43%
Normal	All (6)	Khanjali	55-15-15-15	$448,000	$540,000	-$92,000 (Crew benefits)	-20.54%
Hard	None	Barrage	40-20-20-20	$975,000	$787,500	$187,500 (Host benefits)	19.23%
Hard	None	Khanjali	40-20-20-20	$925,000	$787,500	$137,500 (Host benefits)	14.86%
Hard	All (6)	Barrage	55-15-15-15	$745,500	$675,000	$70,500 (Host benefits)	9.46%
Hard	All (6)	Khanjali	55-15-15-15	$695,500	$675,000	$20,500 (Host benefits)	2.95%

The Doomsday Heist Act 3: The Doomsday Scenario (Continued)

---

Numerical Explanation

The figures above under Suggested Heist Split offer the fairest "fit" with the lowest percentage discrepancy in the total earnings between host and crew. Given that we can only assign payments in chunks of 5%, sometimes it's impossible to divide the payment between all players in a way that gives everybody an equal payment (See Introduction & How To Work Out These Percentage Splits).

This heist cannot always be divided exactly between players - trying to do so leaves an "excess" as shown below:

Host Expenses As Percentage of Finale Reward

Difficulty	Preparations Skipped	Vehicle Used	Setup Fee	Missed Setup Payments	Charge for Skipping Preparations	Total Expenses	Profit from Sale of Unused Vehicle	Net Expenses
Normal	None	Barrage	1.39%	15.00%	0.00%	16.39%	-5.56%	10.83%
Normal	None	Khanjali	1.39%	15.00%	0.00%	16.39%	-2.78%	13.61%
Normal	All (6)	Barrage	1.39%	15.00%	31.50%	47.89%	-5.56%	42.33%
Normal	All (6)	Khanjali	1.39%	15.00%	31.50%	47.89%	-2.78%	45.11%
Hard	None	Barrage	1.11%	15.00%	0.00%	16.11%	-4.44%	11.67%
Hard	None	Khanjali	1.11%	15.00%	0.00%	16.11%	-2.22%	13.89%
Hard	All (6)	Barrage	1.11%	15.00%	25.20%	41.31%	-4.44%	36.87%
Hard	All (6)	Khanjali	1.11%	15.00%	25.20%	41.31%	-2.22%	39.09%

Percentage Cut for All Players to Receive Equal Payment (2 Player)

% Cut	Normal | Using Barrage (No Skip)	Normal | Using Khanjali (No Skip)	Normal | Using Barrage (Skip Preps)	Normal | Using Khanjali (Skip Preps)	Hard | Using Barrage (No Skip)	Hard | Using Khanjali (No Skip)	Hard | Using Barrage (Skip Preps)	Hard | Using Khanjali (Skip Preps)
Host	10.83+45 = 55%	13.61+40 = 55%	42.33+30 = 70%	45.11+25 = 70%	11.67+45 = 55%	13.89+40 = 55%	36.87+30 = 65%	39.09+30 = 70%
Crew	45%	40%	30%	25%	45%	40%	30%	30%
Excess	0%	5%	0%	5%	0%	5%	5%	0%

Percentage Cut for All Players to Receive Equal Payment (3 Player)

% Cut	Normal | Using Barrage (No Skip)	Normal | Using Khanjali (No Skip)	Normal | Using Barrage (Skip Preps)	Normal | Using Khanjali (Skip Preps)	Hard | Using Barrage (No Skip)	Hard | Using Khanjali (No Skip)	Hard | Using Barrage (Skip Preps)	Hard | Using Khanjali (Skip Preps)
Host	10.83+30 = 40%	13.61+25 = 40%	42.33+20 = 60%	45.11+15 = 60%	11.67+30 = 40%	13.89+25 = 40%	36.87+20 = 55%	39.09+20 = 60%
Crew	30%	25%	20%	15%	30%	25%	20%	20%
Excess	0%	10%	0%	10%	0%	10%	5%	0%

Percentage Cut for All Players to Receive Equal Payment (4 Player)

% Cut	Normal | Using Barrage (No Skip)	Normal | Using Khanjali (No Skip)	Normal | Using Barrage (Skip Preps)	Normal | Using Khanjali (Skip Preps)	Hard | Using Barrage (No Skip)	Hard | Using Khanjali (No Skip)	Hard | Using Barrage (Skip Preps)	Hard | Using Khanjali (Skip Preps)
Host	10.83+20 = 30%	13.61+20 = 35%	42.33+15 = 55%	45.11+15 = 60%	11.67+20 = 30%	13.89+20 = 35%	36.87+15 = 50%	39.09+15 = 55%
Crew	20%	20%	15%	10% *	20%	20%	15%	15%
Excess	10%	5%	0%	10%	10%	5%	5%	0%

* - The minimum crew split as of the Criminal Enterprises update is 15%. So even though in theory the host should be receiving 60% and the crew 10% in this instance, the split must instead be 55-15-15-15 to meet this minimum.

How To Work Out These Percentage Splits

It's all very well and good seeing the figures but how did I arrive at these percentages? I'll give you an example using the Series A Funding Heist (with slightly rounded values to make the maths nicer):

Starting by recapping the heist details:

• Heist Setup Cost: $40,400
  
• Number of Setup Missions: 5
  
• Heist Finale Payout:
  
  • Easy: $202,000
    
  • Normal: $404,000
    
  • Hard: $505,000
• Heist Setup Mission Payout:
  
  • Easy: $10,000
    
  • Normal: $20,000
    
  • Hard: $25,000

Then take a look at the % of the final cut that the host is out due to not getting money from setup missions and from paying the setup cost:

We work out the percentage of the final cut needed to cover a cost using the formula shown below:

(value/heist finale payout)*100

If all setups and the finale are done on normal:
• Initial Cost:
  
  • The host spends $40,400 on the heist...
    
  • ...which is (40,400/404,000)*100 = 10% of the total heist payout.
• Percentage needed to make up for not receiving money from setup:
  
  • Everybody else receives a payment of $20,000 for each of the 5 setup missions which the host does not get and should be made up for by increasing the host's share.
    
  • The host should receive an extra ((20,000*5)/404,000)*100 = 24.8% to make up for this.

Then use Rockstar's default split as a starting point by assigning 15% to each player. Add the percentages calculated above to the host's 15% and see what is left. In this instance it is:

• Host: 15+10+24.8 = 49.8 = 50%
  
• Crew: 15%
  
• Leftover: 5%

Note: percentages must be rounded to the nearest multiple of 5 at this point (but not earlier).

What you end up with at this point is the percentage of the cut from the heist finale that the host would need to receive to have the same net profit as a crew member. There is some excess as you see which can be shared out as the host sees fit.
If that excess is 20% (i.e. if it can be divided by 4 to give a multiple of 5) then it can be split so that each crew member and the heist leader earns an additional 5% each.

This process has been followed for all of the heists that you see - it's not complicated but displaying the working for all the heists on different difficulties would waste too much space.

Closing Summary

All there is to say here is that you can see how Rockstar came up with their default 55/15/15/15 - they found the fairest split and then gave the excess to the host. I would consider splitting the excess over other players rather than giving it all to the host as Rockstar have done but really it is up to you....

...Which leads to a final PSA I guess:

In a game with a host, the host sets the rules. If you dislike them or feel that they are too unreasonable, don't play with that host. Please don't waste your time, the host's time and everybody else in that lobby's time intentionally ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ up the mission to get back at a host who didn't give you that extra 5%.

Cheers for reading and I hope you found something here useful!

Additional Credit

This guide was created back in 2015 with the original heists. Special thanks to reddit used RDS08 who posted this great thread with all the payout information for the Doomsday heist - by referencing this I was able to update this guide to include the new Doomsday heist despite not actively playing GTA:Online. Oh, and thanks to the people in the comments who encouraged me to get off my lazy arse and finally update this guide ;)

Finally, to anybody who has got this far and everybody who has used and supported this guide over the years: Thank you!.

[idiot 3]

https://youtu.be/DdmNYNkcwKE

[PinePotpourri]

Equal split or no split. Your antiquated contrived mathematical delusions have no effects of grandeur on me, you nerd.

[Fish]

I've definitely considered it. There's so many variables on those heists though - the finale pay varies significantly and of course the setup missions can be done solo. Rockstar has also been pretty frequently changing Cayo and Cayo solo (or with friends where you can solo setups and share finales) is better than Cayo with randoms and frankly better than any other heist. I'm just not sure how to boil it down into something useful and digestible, or whether people would even find it helpful at this point with current money making metas.

[themommies042610]

Do you plan to update this guide in the future (for Cayo Perico, or the Diamond Casino)?

[craig gresham]

hello friends how are you?

Sadly how the new Perico heist is the extreme payment without any complications, all these % calcs are rather moot. Great historic piece, though.

[katze]

i just give everyone the same amount, i don't care that much. but it's a nice guide. good job.

[Creeper_D]

One thing about the Pacific Standard Heist, if you steal a police car, get everyone in there and get the person carrying the loot to duck by pressing x on pc (don't know on consoles sorry) you can steal most of the money with relative ease, just drive safe and have snacks at hand.

[Mememento Kekri]

If the host takes anything more than 45% i just leave, fuck greedy idiots

[Kevin Malone]

I developed an app that calculates the ideal split - taking in account of the difficulty of every setup. Its available for Android:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.PurplePandaGames.GTACalculator