An MTA worker was busted secretly holding onto his previous job with the USPS for months after he was hired — admitting he wanted to see if he liked the new role before giving it up, a watchdog report says.

Carlyle Aris of Brooklyn began working as a track cleaner for New York City Transit in May 2018 — but didn’t tell the MTA he hadn’t quit his old gig with the postal service, or get required approval to work for an outside employer, according to the MTA inspector general report released Thursday.

He told investigators he took sick leave and unpaid time off from the postal service during the overlap.

“When asked why he went on leave without pay status, instead of resigning from the USPS, Aris admitted that he wanted to see if he liked the MTA job before giving up his USPS employment,” the report reads.

He at first told investigators he quit the USPS job in September because he liked the assignment — but then admitted he left because the postmaster was about to take action against him for taking so much time off.

The inspector general’s office is now recommending that Aris be punished “up to and including termination.”

Aris could not be immediately reached for comment Thursday.