Interest Accrued in Savings Account over Shabbos

Interest Earned in Banks over Shabbos and Yom Tov

Most bank accounts accrue interest daily, calculated either from mid-day to mid-day or from midnight to midnight. There is a discussion among poskim whether an issue of schar Shabbos (making profit on Shabbos) is involved since interest is paid for Shabbos as well; but since the interest accrued on Shabbos includes part of Friday or Sunday, it is considered behavla’ah (the interest earned on Shabbos is “swallowed up” by what is earned on the weekday), and there is no issur (prohibition) of schar Shabbos. However, if a bank does not calculate interest that way—or even if it does, but when Yom Tov and Shabbos follow one another or when there are two days of Yom Tov—some poskim say that there is a concern of schar Shabbos, and therefore one should not utilize the interest earned on those days. (One option is to donate the money to tzedakah.) Other poskim rule that one may be lenient even in those cases. 343

https://halacha2go.com?number=343

Practical Halacha: One minute a day. By Horav Yosef Yeshaya Braun, shlita, Mara D'asra and member of the Badatz of Crown Heights.