The "special tax" you're referring to is probably RI's capital gains tax.
A capital gain on the sale of real estate located in RI is taxable by RI, whether or not you are a RI resident.
RI taxes capital gains as ordinary income. The tax rate you will pay varies according to your federal taxable income.
The highest rate is 5.99%.
Bottom line: you must file a non-resident RI tax return, on which you report your capital gain from that home sale.
The capital gain will also be taxable by your state of residence, but you'll be able to claim a credit for the tax paid to RI, so in effect you won't be double-taxed.
TurboTax can handle this common situation. When doing your returns, be sure to complete the non-resident RI state tax return before you do your home state return, so that the program can calculate and apply the credit. In the My Info section at the beginning of TT, be sure to indicate that you had income from another state. This will tell the program to produce the non-resident RI tax return.
Important: It's possible (but not certain) that RI income taxes were withheld at your closing. If this is the case, be sure to enter the withheld amount in the Estimates and Other Taxes Paid section of TT. Check your closing documents.
**Answers are correct to the best of my ability but do not constitute tax or legal advice.
