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Q: My husband accepts Shabbat early every week, but I still have to get some things done in the house before Shabbat starts. Am I bound by his Kabbalat Shabbat?
A: Although the P’ri Megadim[1] is in doubt whether when a father prays Arvit of Shabbat early, his family is automatically included in that acceptance of Shabbat. The late Aharonim debate about the final Halacha. Whereas the Shevet HaLevi[2] is stringent, Rav Moshe Feinstein זצ”ל[3] distinguishes between whether the father prays in a Minyan that accepts Shabbat early out of extra respect for Shabbat[4] – or whether the Minyan was just established as a matter of convenience. In the case of the latter, his family would not be bound by such a Kabbalat Shabbat (except for Melachot that they are doing for the father). However, Hacham Ovadia Yosef זצ”ל[5] and others write that the family is not bound by a father’s Kabbalat Shabbat. The Sefer Kene Lecha Haver relates that the Kaf HaHayim once asked this question to the Ben Ish Hai, who also responded that the family is not bound by the father’s Kabbalat Shabbat[6].
As a side note, although the Shulhan Aruch[7] rules that if most of the town accepts Shabbat early, the minority is bound by that Kabbalat Shabbat as well (and according to most Poskim this even applies to rabbinic prohibitions), nevertheless, the Kenesset HaGedola and others write that this does not apply in a place in which there are Minyanim who pray at different times.
Sources:
[1] או”ח סי’ רסג מש”ז סק”א
[2] ח”ז סי’ לה
[3] שו”ת אג”מ או”ח ח”ג סי’ לח
[4] דאז מחוייבת ע”י קבלתו אפילו אם היא מתפללת בביהכ”נ במנין מאוחר יותר
[5] חזו”ע שבת ח”א עמ’ רפח, ועוד אחרונים
[6] וכן מבואר בשו”ת תורה לשמה (סי’ קיז) שמותרים בני הבית לקבל פרעון חוב עבור אביהם שקיבל שבת, וכ”מ בשו”ת רב פעלים (או”ח ח”ב ס”ס מט)
[7] סי’ רסג סי”ב.