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The Torah requires employers to pay an employee or contractor. Someone who withholds wages is not only stealing from his or her workers, but also harming the quality of the work. Workers who eagerly anticipate their pay will work more diligently. Without the assurance they will get paid, they will find it more difficult to work efficiently and energetically.
Paying late is prohibited as well. An employer who agreed to pay an employee at the end of the day, must pay then. Payment may not be delayed – even overnight – without the employee’s consent. As it says, “You shall not defraud your fellow. You shall not commit robbery. The wages of a laborer shall not remain with you until morning” (Leviticus 19:13), and “You must pay his wages on the same day” (Deuteronomy 24:15).
