Functionality of elevated water tanks post-earthquakes has been a major issue, and seismic resilience is of utmost concern. The behaviour of elevated water tanks is different when compared with conventional buildings, considering they have a huge mass of water supported on a tall staging and designing such structures requires specialized analysis. Previous studies have shown the failure pattern of such elevated tanks where improper staging selection and overestimating seismic responses have been the major causes. The conventional approach of fixed base analysis assumes the foundation to be rigid which is contradictory in actual site conditions. In actuality, the soil–structure interaction amplifies the response of the structure resting especially in soft soils and stratified soil deposits compared to stiff soil or rock, and disregarding such a complex interaction has proven to be detrimental to the performance of structures leading to premature collapse during intense ground shaking. The aseismic design of such tanks demands to account for all these effects and in addition to it, the dynamic effect from sloshing waves. The present study examines the dynamic behaviour of elevated water tanks through a comprehensive numerical analysis considering the effect of sloshing and soil– structure interaction.