Quick Links
The economy in Europa Universalis 4 can be tough to manage. Even large empires can find themselves drowning in debt after a prolonged war, and even if your nation's finances are fine it can all come tumbling down.
The early game in particular takes a while to generate lots of income, as there aren't yet rare and exotic goods to sell or treasure fleets sailing home packed with gold and silver. Whichever stage of the game you're in, these are the best ways to get cash for your empire, both in the short and long term.
Develop Provinces
Investing your hard-earned Administrative and Diplomatic Power into your provinces will boost your overall income for the entire game, so it's worth doing early and often. Raising the Tax or Production of a province means a small but instantaneous increase to your monthly income. This can be all it takes to keep your treasury out of the red, and developed provinces pick up Institutions faster as well.
While developing a province gets more expensive each time you do it., the benefits of a highly-developed province usually outweighs that of several low- to medium-development ones. This is especially true when you add income buildings like Temples into the mix, which grant a percentage bonus ideal for already-rich cities.
When developing Production, try to focus on provinces that make expensive trade goods. Gems, Spices, and other luxuries fetch high prices, meaning you'll get more money for the same amount of Diplomatic Power.
Protect Trade Routes
Sending Light Ships to a Trade Node increases your power there, giving you a greater share of the money passing through that area. It's a good idea to have fleets patrolling your primary trade hub and any important Nodes along the route.
If you can't afford to build new ships, you may be able to boost your income by reassigning the ones you have. When you're assigning a fleet to protect trade, you can hover over each Node on the list to see how much the ships will increase your income if sent there. The shifting fortunes of your opponents might have created opportunities for you, allowing you to make more money by sending your fleets to protect a different route.
The amount of Trade Power a fleet contributes to its area is affected by the Maneuver stat of its Admiral. Assigning an Admiral with a high Maneuver to a trade fleet can improve your income without having to spend anything other than the Military Power it takes to hire them.
Reduce Maintenance
If you're at peace and expect to remain so for a while, you can save a good amount on monthly expenses by reducing the Maintenance levels of your army. In the Economy Tab, move the Army Maintenance slider down as far as you're willing. You can also mothball any ships you aren't using by bringing them into port and clicking the anchor icon.
Army and Navy Maintenance are two of the biggest costs in the game, so temporarily reducing them can help build up a healthy surplus in your treasury. If Unrest starts to appear or it looks like a war could be coming, set the Maintenance back to full. Troops' maximum morale is proportional to their funding, so a sudden rebel uprising can wipe an unprepared army. It also takes time for armies and fleets to build back up to full strength after their Maintenance is restored, so be sure to give yourself at least six months' lead time if you ca
As a last resort you can also disband armies entirely or sell ships. This is best done if you find yourself over capacity, since exceeding your army or ship limit increases your overall upkeep.
Boost Stability
Having positive Stability increases your tax income and reduces Corruption, among its many other benefits. If you have the Administrative Power to spend, getting to a Stability of two or even three can give you a major boost. EU4 is normally a game of small percentages, so a five, ten, or fifteen percent increase is huge.
Raise War Taxes
Wars can be complex affairs, especially in the late game, so it's easy to forget that you can defray the cost by raising War Taxes. This is done from the Economy Tab, clicking the button in the lower left corner.
Despite their name, War Taxes don't actually give you any extra money. Instead, they reduce the maintenance costs of your armed forces with no reduction in their fighting power.
One of the game's more recent updates allows players to "set and forget" War Taxes. Clicking the button now automatically imposes War Taxes along with the two Military Power per month cost whenever you're at war. Unless your ruler's Military stat is truly abysmal, it's worth clicking the button at the start of the campaign and never looking back.
Shake Down Your Vassals
If you have any subject empires, whether they're colonies, vassals, or union partners, you can interact with them in the Subjects Tab. Raising their taxes and otherwise demanding money will increase their Liberty Desire, but as long as it stays under fifty you have nothing to worry about.
Take Loans
The best EU4 players know not to be afraid of loans. These aren't twenty-first-century loans with exorbitant interest rates designed specifically to keep borrowers in debt for the rest of their lives, they're a game mechanic. Loans in Europa Universalis 4 are a means of getting quick cash, and the interest on an individual loan is negligible. It's only when you have too many at once that they become a problem.
If you have no other way of getting the money you need for that new war fleet, take a loan and get building. Your opponents will do it, so you should as well just to keep up.
Even if you take out way too many loans and drive your country to bankruptcy, there's a silver lining; bankrupt countries in 1750 or later have a chance of spawning the Revolution, which can give access to the most powerful government types in the game. If you're playing as France you'll even have a chance to recruit history's greatest general, Napoleon Bonaparte!
