0825 Publ 5883 (PDF)

Official source: IRS Forms, Instructions & Publications (https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p5883.pdf), retrieved 2026-10-03. U.S. Government work (17 U.S.C. § 105).

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Taxpayer Services

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STAKEHOLDER PARTNERSHIPS, EDUCATION & COMMUNICATION

Publication 5883 (Rev. 8-2025) Catalog Number 94456C Department of the Treasury Internal Revenue Service www.irs.gov

Taxpayer Services

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STAKEHOLDER PARTNERSHIPS, EDUCATION & COMMUNICATION

SPEC Over-the-Phone (OPI) Interpreter Service

1. SPEC OPI background
2. Understanding the SPEC OPI services
3. How to use the SPEC OPI telephonic interpretation service
4. Understanding the SPEC OPI process
5. Completing and reporting the weekly SPEC OPI log
6. Completing the Form 13615

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Wage and Investment

STAKEHOLDER PARTNERSHIP EDUCATION & COMMUNICATION

The IRS is committed to servicing our multilingual customers by offering SPEC Over-the-Phone Interpreter (OPI) services in limited English proficient (LEP) communities. SPEC OPI is a federally funded program.

SPEC OPI offers real-time interpretation services for numerous languages through virtual call centers, enabling around the clock service year-round. The SPEC OPI service is free and available to all Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) partners/sites.

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Taxpayer Services

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STAKEHOLDER PARTNERSHIPS, EDUCATION & COMMUNICATION

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SPEC OPI services includes all aspects of the SPEC business model.

Examples include:

• Quality site reviews

• Field site visits

• Return reviews

• FEAB services

• Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) applications

• Outreach and education – such as Child Tax Credit, Earned Income Tax Credit, education credits, identity theft, refund inquiries, questions about IRS correspondence, etc.

NOTE : If a partner want to use SPEC OPI services for something other than return preparation, prior written authorization is required from SPEC. To obtain approval the request must be sent to the relationship manager (RM) and area OPI point of

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contact/subject matter expert (POC/SME).

Taxpayer Services

Stakeholder Partnership Education & Communication

Examples of Tax Preparation Situations:

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Taxpayer Services

Stakeholder Partnership Education & Communication

This is a visual of the SPEC OPI telephonic interpretation service. The site needs to have conference call abilities (3-way-calling) to use the SPEC OPI service. As you can see here, the volunteer will call the taxpayer. Once the taxpayer is connected with the volunteer, the volunteer then calls the SPEC OPI line.

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Taxpayer Services

Stakeholder Partnership Education & Communication

Over-the-Phone Interpreter (OPI) Service For SPEC OPI Partners

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Taxpayer Services

Stakeholder Partnership Education & Communication

Over-the-Phone Interpreter (OPI) Service For SPEC OPI Partners

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Taxpayer Services

Stakeholder Partnership Education & Communication

Over-the-Phone Interpreter (OPI) Service For SPEC OPI Partners

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Taxpayer Services

Stakeholder Partnership Education & Communication

Please Note: Contact may be in person or over the phone.

Eliminate any background noise. Speak slowly and have patience with the taxpayer. Remember, your conversation is with the taxpayer and not the interpreter. If in person, maintain eye contact with the taxpayer. If in person, observe the taxpayer’s body language. Keep the taxpayer engaged.

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Taxpayer Services

Stakeholder Partnership Education & Communication

Please note: The user must have the taxpayer on the phone line prior to initiating the call to the OPI line for interpreter assistance.

Briefly explain the purpose of the call. Eliminate any background noise. Speak at a moderate rate of speech and instruct your parties to speak one at a time. The interpreter serves to facilitate communication, he/she will not conduct the call itself. Please contact your SPEC relationship manager with any questions or concerns.

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Taxpayer Services

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STAKEHOLDER PARTNERSHIPS, EDUCATION & COMMUNICATION

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• required to submit logs on a weekly basis to SC.

Volunteer - required to submit logs on a weekly basis to SC.

Site Coordinator (SC) - required to secure weekly logs, maintain monthly accountability for reconciliation and submit logs to RM.

Partner - will verify the SC is securing weekly logs and maintaining monthly reconciliation.

Relationship Manager (RM) - required to secure weekly logs from SC and send it to the SME/TM, maintain monthly accountability for reconciliation and obtain any missing logs for TM/SME.

Territory Manager (TM)/ Territory OPI SME - required to upload the weekly logs to the Area OPI SharePoint. TM/SME will certify call logs received each month.

Note : Volunteers, site coordinators, partners, relationship managers and territory managers will complete SPEC OPI training on Link and Learn Taxes yearly. 12

Taxpayer Services

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STAKEHOLDER PARTNERSHIPS, EDUCATION & COMMUNICATION

SPEC OPI certification is on Link and Learn Taxes

(LLT) each year. Each parter/site must certify yearly.

The prerequisite for the SPEC OPI course is the

Volunteer Standards of Conduct training.

Before taking the SPEC OPI training, you are required

to enter a valid Site Identification Number (SIDN).

The SPEC OPI training has the requirement of passing

13 with an 80% or higher score.

Taxpayer Services

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STAKEHOLDER PARTNERSHIPS, EDUCATION & COMMUNICATION

For new or returning partners/sites:

After completing OPI training your OPI PIN will

automatically reactivate within 10 days after passing the course.

Partner/site coordinators with multiple sites can activate all

needed OPI PINs with their relationship manager.

Partners/sites are not allowed to preschedule

appointments for OPI interpreter services. However, partners/sites can call the OPI line for assistance to schedule an appointment for a taxpayer to come in for tax preparation services. 14

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Taxpayer Services

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STAKEHOLDER PARTNERSHIPS, EDUCATION & COMMUNICATION

An activation email will be sent to the site coordinator,

relationship manger and territory manager with the site SPEC OPI PIN information and the Weekly SPEC OPI Log.

Each SPEC partner/territory has an assigned SIDN and

SPEC OPI PIN.

If a SPEC partner/employee needs their SIDN or OPI PIN,

contact your TM/OPI SME. If a TM/OPI SME needs their SIDN or OPI PIN, contact

their Area Point of Contact (APOC).

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Taxpayer Service

Stakeholder Partnership Education & Communication

Each week the local relationship manager will remind their partners to submit their weekly log by noon on Monday. If the partner has no usage they will send a negative response to their local relationship manager.

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Taxpayer Service

Stakeholder Partnership Education & Communication

If a partner or site fails to submit their weekly log, a reminder email will be sent for the first missed log. If the partner or site continues to not submit their weekly log, we will deactivate their assigned OPI PIN for two weeks.

Non-compliance will result in a warning email for the missing log. Further non-compliance will lead to the immediate deactivation of the site/partner's OPI PIN for two weeks.

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STAKEHOLDER PARTNERSHIPS, EDUCATION & COMMUNICATION

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STAKEHOLDER PARTNERSHIPS, EDUCATION & COMMUNICATION

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Taxpayers Services Services

STAKEHOLDER PARTNERSHIP EDUCATION & COMMUNICATION

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Taxpayer Services

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STAKEHOLDER PARTNERSHIPS, EDUCATION & COMMUNICATION

Comment Examples:

• No interpreter for language

requested.

• Return out of scope.

• Call dropped, had to call

back.

• Time to connect with

interpreter was too long.

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Taxpayer Services

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STAKEHOLDER PARTNERSHIPS, EDUCATION & COMMUNICATION

SPEC OPI Weekly Schedule

Partners will submit their SPEC OPI weekly log beginning the

Weekly Input

Logs are due every Monday by noon your local time.

Relationship managers will follow-up with their

partners/sites weekly.

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Taxpayer Service

STAKEHOLDER PARTNERSHIP EDUCATION & COMMUNICATION

SPEC is responsible for providing this free service. SPEC OPI process is essential. All individual calls must be matched to the monthly SPEC OPI bill. Each column on the log is matched to the bill with some variation. The SPEC OPI reconciliation process has a short turnaround time of three to five days.

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Taxpayer Service

STAKEHOLDER PARTNERSHIP EDUCATION & COMMUNICATION

Each column on the monthly SPEC OPI bill is compared with the weekly SPEC OPI log. There may be some slight variations in some

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Taxpayer Service

STAKEHOLDER PARTNERSHIP EDUCATION & COMMUNICATION

Area POC’s:

Area 1: Grace Torres Grace.Torres@irs.gov

Area 2: Joe Hayek Joseph.P.Hayek@irs.gov

Area 3: Sandra Cobos Sandra.D.Cobos@irs.gov

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Taxpayer Services

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STAKEHOLDER PARTNERSHIPS, EDUCATION & COMMUNICATION

When completing the Form 13715, Volunteer Site Information Sheet, Question 7 - Languages offered, write-in “Virtual Interpreter Services”.

This will show on the VITA locator under languages offered.

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Taxpayer Service

STAKEHOLDER PARTNERSHIP EDUCATION & COMMUNICATION

Publication 5633 OPIAvailable Languages

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Taxpayer Service

STAKEHOLDER PARTNERSHIP EDUCATION & COMMUNICATION

Form 15373 – OPI Poster

Pocket Guide

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Taxpayer Service

STAKEHOLDER PARTNERSHIP EDUCATION & COMMUNICATION

Publication 5285 –

IRS Interpreter Services: Do You Speak (Language)? (Tabletop Poster)

Taxpayer Service

STAKEHOLDER PARTNERSHIP EDUCATION & COMMUNICATION

SPEC OPI certification will be on Link and Learn

Taxes(LLT) each year.

All employees/partners (new or existing) must attend OPI

training each year. Partners/sites must take the volunteer standard of conduct

(VSC) first before taking the SPEC OPI training.

Before taking the SPEC OPI training, you are required

to enter a Site Identification Number (SIDN).

If you don’t know your SIDN or OPI PIN contact your

local relationship manager (RM).

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Taxpayer Service

STAKEHOLDER PARTNERSHIP EDUCATION & COMMUNICATION

If partners/sites are not getting responses from their

local relationship manager, they can send questions to SPEC.OPI.Service@irs.gov.

Partners/sites are not allowed to preschedule

appointments for SPEC OPI interpreter services. However, partners/sites can call the SPEC OPI line for assistance to schedule an appointment for a taxpayer to come in for tax preparation services.

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Taxpayer Service

STAKEHOLDER PARTNERSHIP EDUCATION & COMMUNICATION

OPI services will now include all aspects of the SPEC

business model (income tax preparation, financial education and asset building (FEAB) and educational outreach). No additional authorization is required for tax return preparation. Written authorization is needed to use OPI services for

anything other than tax return preparation. For example, FEAB, educational outreach, ITIN, CAA, etc. Written authorization is requested through your relationship

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Taxpayer Service

STAKEHOLDER PARTNERSHIP EDUCATION & COMMUNICATION

For a new partner or site: contact your relationship

manager to request a new SPEC OPI PIN. After a SPEC OPI PIN is assigned, the SPEC OPI PIN will be activated 10 days after the OPI training in Link and Learn Taxes is passed.

For a returning partner or site: SPEC OPI PIN will be

activated 10 days after the OPI training in Link and Learn Taxes is passed.

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Taxpayer Service

STAKEHOLDER PARTNERSHIP EDUCATION & COMMUNICATION

Activation email will be sent to the site coordinator,

relationship manger and territory manager with the site SPEC OPI PIN information and the Weekly SPEC OPI Usage Log.

Multiple sites: the partner or site coordinator need to

contact their relationship manager to activate SPEC OPI PINs.

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Taxpayer Service

STAKEHOLDER PARTNERSHIP EDUCATION & COMMUNICATION

Additional References

Publication 5883 –SPEC OPI Training

Publication 5547 – SPEC OPI Job Aid

Publication 5633 – OPI Available Languages

Form 15373 – OPI Poster

Publication 4269 – Welcome! Do You require service in

any language other than English?

Publication 5285 – IRS Interpreter Services (DeskTop)

Publication 5889 - Ad Astra Pocket Guide

SPEC OPI Weekly Log – contact your relationship

manager

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