This paper addresses the concept of lateral overstrength; the ratio of actual lateral strength to design base shear force, for both SDOF and MDOF systems considering soil structure interaction. Overstrength factors are obtained with inelastic time history analysis for SDOF systems for period range of 0.1-3.0 s, five different aspect ratios (h/r= 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) and five levels of ductility (μ= 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) considering soil structure interaction. Structural overstrength for MDOF systems are obtained with inelastic time history collapse analysis for sample 1, 3, 6, 9, 12 and 15 storey RC frame systems. In analyses, 64 ground motions recorded on different site conditions such as rock, stiff soil, soft soil and very soft soil are used. Also lateral overstrength ratios considering soil structure interaction are compared with those calculated for fixed-base cases.