Thursday, February 13, 2025

Fwd: Business Halacha Daily

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Bais HaVaad Halacha Center <info@baishavaad.org>
Date: Thu, Feb 13, 2025, 8:00 PM
Subject: Business Halacha Daily
To: <agentemes4@gmail.com>

Am I Allowed to Tip a Worker if Payment was Delayed?

Case: I like to tip people who work for me and do a good job. A painter recently painted my house and did an excellent job. His fee was $375 and I wanted to give him $400. When he finished, I realized that I didn't have any cash on me and told him that I would pay him next week.

Question: Would there be a ribbis problem with me giving him more money than I owe him?

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Harav Chaim Weg, Rosh Kollel of Kollel Zichron Gershon L'Dayanus

Answer: Any extra money given at the time of a payment is forbidden m'derabanan. If someone borrows $100 and, at the time of payment hands the lender $120, he has transgressed a Rabbinic prohibition of ribbis. Even though the amount was not agreed upon in advance, which means that there is no ribbis d'ohraysa, this is still forbidden by the Rabbanan.

Furthermore, the Torah prohibition of ribbis is only when the money was given in the form of a loan, but the Rabbanan prohibited any transaction in which extra money is given over the usual price. For example, if someone buys a product that usually costs $20 with the understanding that if he pays late, he will have to pay $30 because of the time extension, that would be forbidden as ribbis d'rabanan.

If someone buys a product or uses a service but delays paying for some time and, when he finally does pay, wants to add on a little to make up for the lateness, there is a machlokes haposkim whether this is permitted or not. If it is clear, however, that the extra money is simply meant as a tip that would have been given in any case, then it is definitely permitted.