Mystery Shopping Whilst on Jobseekers Allowance

mark_26

I've recently started doing mystery shopping and at the same time just lost my full time job.

Is it right that The Job Centre right that they count this as a part-time job and use the less than 16 hours a week rule and deduct the jobseekers?

E.g. If I was to do a mystery shopping meal visit I would pay £10-20 for a meal assess the customer service and would earn the £20 in wages.

Is it then correct that the jobcentre take that £20 out of my jobseekers allowance bar £5, technically I'm getting £60 a week for jobseekers plus the £5 for doing the mystery shopping but they'd then take £20 out of my jobseekers which I would have already spent as a necessary expense for the visit. So I'd end up with £45 for a week even though I've been doing the mystery shopping work, so hence it would mean I'd have paid the money for the meal, been paid by the mystery shopping for doing the work, then the job centre would just take it back off me. Kind of renders doing the work pointless?

Just wanted to check if that is how the system would work or if I'm misinterpreting it.

HappyMJ

Misinterpreted...it's net profit they take into account. so your profit could be up to £10 less the £5 disregard so you would lose £5 of benefit.