How much can you earn on top of JSA

skintchick

I used to work in central London. It's 30 miles as the crow flies but takes nearly two hours and costs 3.5k for the train and tube season ticket. There's no way I'd apply for something like that if it wasn;t paying at least 28k.

Scousebird_2

I used to travel 41 miles to work and back so an 82 mile round trip per day on public transport! And I was paid £6 per hour! You gotta do what puts food on the table. After I had paid £222 in expenses each month on train passes I was effectively working for £4.63 per hour! Less than minimum wage-not to mention 3 hrs travelling time each day, 5 or even sometimes 6 days a week if I needed the overtime! Still more than being on benefits. Unless of course I talke into account that my rent would of been paid (so say £55 a week plus Council Tax of £30 so that's £80 extra in benefits plus £48 JSA totalling to £128 per week in benefits)

So lets add that up....£4.63x37.5 (my contracted hours)=£173.62 gross equating to approx £154 a week after tax. I would of been £26 a month better off.

Still worth it I suppose, but only just-if you take into account everything there is very little incentive unless you are on a decent wage, to bother when you look at the figures above-this has surprised me now I have worked it out. I could not cope without having a full time job-just for my own fulfilment, but looking at these figures, you can see why other think not to bother!!

vegankris

It's completely unrealistic to expect a person earning NMW to spend all that money on travel expenses.