Q: What are the halochos regarding paying or receiving wages on Shabbos?
A: Rashi Ketubos 64a s.v. Kesechar explains that the reason chazal prohibited taking sechar shabbos, wages from work done on Shabbos, is based on a concern of coming to doing business on Shabbos. S”A 306:4, Mishna Brura 306:16 and Shemirat Shabbos KeHilchata 28:54 codify this as halacha. Rabbi Simcha Bunim Cohen explains that Chazal forbade engaging in any type of business transaction because it might lead to Kosev, writing down the transaction in a journal or the like.
The primary prohibition applies to the one receiving the wages; however, it’s also forbidden to pay these wages even for permissible work because one transgresses “Lifnei Iver”.
It is permitted to receive money on Shabbos for a rental that includes a pre and or post Shabbos period. The same applies to services performed, for example, a Jew may serve as a waiter on Shabbos provided he does some set up before, or cleanup after Shabbos. Rav Herschel Schachter explains that Havla’ah is when the unit that is paid is larger than Shabbos. If one were to pay an hourly rate, any hours charged on Shabbos would be Schar Shabbos. But if one pays a flat rate which includes services not performed on Shabbos, this would be permitted because of Schar Shabbos B’Havla’ah.
It is forbidden to receive payment for any service or rental over Shabbos such as renting one’s house for a specific number of days. However, if one purchases something on Shabbos (in cases where it’s permissible) one must pay the amount owed after Shabbos.
One may not receive payment for renting out a room for Shabbos specifically, rather one should stipulate that the rental should begin a little before Shabbos or a little after Shabbos.
One may rent out a car even if the rental is paid per day and includes Shabbos because the rental is paid for every 24 hour day from morning to morning and automatically in the payment for Shabbos is also a few hours after Shabbos.
It is permissible to receive payment for work done over a period of time such as a month, week, or year even if Shabbos is included. According to Ashkenazim, this is only true if each side sees it as an agreement which is intended to last, however, if it’s seen as a temporary agreement and the either side could retract and only pay wages for each day, it’s not permissible to receive wages for the Shabbos.
Someone watching children every Shabbos can receive the wages as a gift.
A doctor can receive wages for a call he did on Shabbos, this is so that he will not decline seeing patients on Shabbos since he cannot take payment and end up not helping in a case of real importance or even at a time of sakonah.
A chazzan, bal koreh, or mashgiach who are only working on Shabbos can receive wages, but it’s better that it’s mixed with payment for some work done on a weekday.
One can pay after Shabbos for going into a mikveh on shabbos, or staying at a hotel on Shabbos, since there is also service before and after one goes on Shabbos e.g. cleaning the room before and after, so the payment is mixed for that too.
One can pay for a ticket to the zoo before Shabbos for a visit on Shabbos, this is only in terms of wages on Shabbos, but in terms of kedushas Shabbos it’s questionable.
One can switch a rotation of a guard or cleaning duty to work on Shabbos instead of a weekday since the work he’s doing isn’t for a wage but just to exempt himself from working another day.