Form 13615 (Rev. 10-2018)
www.irs.govCatalog Number 38847H
Form 13615
(October 2018)
Department of the Treasury - Internal Revenue Service
Volunteer
Standards of Conduct Agreement –
VITA/TCE Programs
The mission of the VITA/TCE return preparation programs is to assist eligible taxpayers in satisfying their tax
responsibilities by providing free tax return preparation. To establish the greatest degree of public trust, volunteers are
required to maintain the highest standards of ethical conduct and provide quality service.
Instructions: All VITA/TCE volunteers (whether paid or unpaid workers) must pass the Volunteer Standards of Conduct
certification, and sign and date Form 13615, Volunteer Standards of Conduct Agreement, prior to working at a VITA/TCE
site. In addition, return preparers, quality reviewers, site coordinators, and VITA/TCE tax law instructors must certify in
the Intake/Interview & Quality Review and tax law prior to signing this form. This form is not valid until the site
coordinator, sponsoring partner, instructor, or IRS contact confirms the volunteer’s identity, with photo ID, and signs and
dates the form.
Standards of Conduct: As a volunteer in the VITA/TCE Programs, you must:
1) Follow the Quality Site Requirements (QSR).
2) Not accept payment, solicit donations, or accept
refund payments for federal or state tax return
preparation from customers.
3) Not solicit business from taxpayers you assist or
use the knowledge you gained (their information)
about them for any direct or indirect personal
benefit for you or any other specific individual.
4) Not knowingly prepare false returns.
5) Not engage in criminal, infamous, dishonest,
notoriously disgraceful conduct, or any other conduct
deemed to have a negative effect on the VITA/TCE
Programs.
6) Treat all taxpayers in a professional, courteous, and
respectful manner.
Failure to comply with these standards could result in, but is not limited to, the following:
• Your removal from all VITA/TCE Programs;
• Inclusion in the IRS Volunteer Registry to bar future VITA/TCE activity indefinitely;
• Deactivation of your sponsoring partner’s site VITA/TCE EFIN (electronic filing ID number);
• Removal of all IRS products, supplies, loaned equipment, and taxpayer information from your site;
• Termination of your sponsoring organization’s partnership with the IRS;
• Termination of grant funds from the IRS to your sponsoring partner; and
• Referral of your conduct for potential TIGTA and criminal investigations.
Taxpayer Impact: Taxpayer trust in the IRS and the local sponsoring partner organization is jeopardized when ethical
standards are not followed. Fraudulent returns that report incorrect income, credits, or deductions can result in many
years of interaction with the IRS as the taxpayer tries to pay the additional tax plus interest and penalties. This can result
in an extreme burden for the taxpayer as the taxpayer tries to resolve the errors made on his or her return.
Volunteer Protection: The Volunteer Protection Act generally protects unpaid volunteers from liability for acts or
omissions that occur while acting within the scope of their responsibilities at the time of the act or omission. It provides no
protection for harm caused by willful or criminal misconduct, gross negligence, reckless misconduct, or a conscious,
flagrant indifference to the rights or safety of the individual harmed by the volunteer.
For additional information on the volunteer standards of conduct, please refer to Publication 1084, Site Coordinator
Handbook.
Privacy Act Notice – The Privacy Act of 1974 requires that when we ask for information we tell you our legal right to ask for the information, why we
are asking for it, and how it will be used. We must also tell you what could happen if we do not receive it, and whether your response is voluntary,
required to obtain a benefit, or mandatory.
Our legal right to ask for information is 5 U.S.C. 301. We are asking for this information to assist us in contacting you relative to your interest and/or
participation in the IRS volunteer income tax preparation and outreach programs. The information you provide may be furnished to others who
coordinate activities and staffing at volunteer return preparation sites or outreach activities. The information may also be used to establish effective
controls, send correspondence and recognize volunteers. Your response is voluntary. However, if you do not provide the requested information, the
IRS may not be able to use your assistance in these programs. Please note: Sponsoring organizations may perform background checks on their
volunteers.
Form 13615 (Rev. 10-2018)
www.irs.govCatalog Number 38847H
Volunteer:
By signing this form, I declare that I have completed Volunteer Standards of Conduct certification and have read, understand, and will
comply with the standards of conduct. I also certify that I am a U.S. citizen, a legal resident, or otherwise reside in the U.S. legally.
Full name (please print) Volunteer position(s)
IRS Employee
Home address (street, city, state and ZIP code)
Email address Daytime telephone Sponsoring partner name/site name
Number of years volunteered (including this year) Volunteer signature Date
Volunteer Certification Levels (Add the letter "P" for all passing test scores)
Standards of Conduct
(Required for ALL)
Intake/Interview
& Quality Review
Site Coordinator
Training
Basic Advanced Military International HSA
Puerto Rico
1 2
Foreign
Students
Federal Tax Law Update Test for Circular 230 Professionals
Site Coordinator, Sponsoring Partner, Instructor or IRS: By signing this form, I declare that I have verified the required certification level(s) and photo
identification for this volunteer prior to allowing the volunteer to work at the VITA/TCE site.
Approving Official's (printed) name and title
(site coordinator, sponsoring partner, instructor, etc.)
Approving Official’s signature and date
Instructions: Complete this section when an unpaid certified volunteer is requesting Continuing Education (CE) credits. CE credits will not be issued
without a PTIN for Enrolled Agents or Non-credentialed preparers. CPAs, attorneys, or CFPs do not require a PTIN; however, they must check with their
governing board requirements for obtaining CE Credits. The site coordinator, sponsoring partner, or instructor must sign and date this form and send the
completed form to the SPEC Territory Office/Relationship Manager for further processing. Refer to the Fact Sheet - Continuing Education Credits on the
Site Coordinator Corner or Publication 4396-A, Partner Resource Guide, for additional requirements and instructions.
For Continuing Education (CE) Credits ONLY
(to be completed by the site coordinator or partner)
Name as listed on PTIN card
Volunteer Preparer's Tax Identification Number (PTIN)
P -
CTEC ID number (if applicable)
A -
Address (VITA/TCE Site or teaching location)
Site Identification Number (SIDN)
S -
Professional Status (check only one box)
Enrolled Agent (EA)
Attorney
Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
Certified Financial Planner (CFP)
Non-credentialed Tax Return Preparer
(Participating in the Annual Filing Season
Program)
Certification Level
(Check only one box below)
Advanced
OR
Advanced and One or More Specialty Courses
Volunteer Hours
(Minimum of 10 volunteer hours required to issue CE Credits)
Total hours volunteered
(qualifies for 14 CE credits)
OR
Total hours volunteered
(qualifies for 18 CE credits)
Site Coordinator, Sponsoring Partner, or Instructor: By signing this form, I declare that I have validated that the reported volunteer hours are based on
the activities this volunteer performed in my site or training facility.
Approving Official's (printed) name and title (site coordinator, sponsoring partner, instructor)
Approving Official’s signature Date signed
Federal Tax Law Update Test for Circular 230 Professionals: Only volunteers in good standing as an attorney, CPA, or Enrolled Agent can take this certification. To
qualify for this certification, the license information below must be completed by the volunteer and verified by the partner or site coordinator. Volunteers with this
certification level can prepare any tax returns that fall within the scope of the VITA/TCE Programs. (Advanced, HSA, Military, etc.) A Scope of Service Chart is located
in Publication 4012, VITA/TCE Volunteer Resource Guide. See Publication 1084, Site Coordinator Handbook, for additional requirements and instructions.
Note: Advanced certification is necessary for qualification for CE Credits, the Federal Tax Law Update Test does not qualify the volunteer to receive CE Credits. See
Publication 4396-A, Partner Resource Guide, for more information about requirements for CE Credits.
Professional designation
(Attorney, CPA, or Enrolled Agent)
Licensing jurisdiction
(state)
Bar, license, registration, or
enrollment number
Effective or
issue date
Expiration date
(if provided)
Note: SPEC established the minimum certification requirements for volunteers who are authorized under Circular 230; however, partners may establish
additional certification requirements for their volunteers. Volunteers should check with the sponsoring SPEC Partner.
click to sign
signature
click to edit
click to sign
signature
click to edit
click to sign
signature
click to edit
dd mmm yyyy
dd mmm yyyy
dd mmm yyyy