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Purpose Differential settlement between foundations’ elements induces additional stresses in the structural elements. In general, the amount of settlement that a structure can undergo without distress is large, provided that the structure settles uniformly. However, based on the fact that the soil under the foundation may not be uniform in nature and the loads transferred from the superstructure to the foundation are variable, differential settlements between the foundation elements are expected. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the stresses induced in a typical ten-storey reinforced concrete building subjected to excessive differential settlement. Design/methodology/approach In this investigation, excessive differential settlement up to 75 mm is assigned to the center column on the ground floor that represents the most critical case. A three-dimensional finite element model is developed to perform structural analysis using the software SAP2000, and the nonlinear static pushover analysis is performed. Findings The results of this study show that the building behaves elastically up to 25 mm of differential settlement between its foundation elements, which agrees well with the recommendation given in design manuals. Beyond this value, significant inelastic response is observed in the lower floors and decreases gradually in the higher floors and accordingly, some members have consumed the factor of safety and are in the verge of failure. Originality/value Based on the results of this study, recommendations are made for better communication between the structure and the geotechnical engineers to either limit the differential settlements or incorporate these additional stresses during the design stage of the building. Furthermore, the results of the study can be used to recommend to building codes or design manuals to add a load component due to the anticipated differential settlements of the foundation.

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