The interaction between concrete core expansion and deformation of perimeter ties has been known to have a significant effect on the effective confinement of rectangular reinforced concrete (RC) tied columns. This interaction produces passive confining pressure to the concrete core. Most existing models for determining the response of RC tied columns do not directly account for the influence of flexural stiffness of the ties and the variation of confining stress along the column height. This study presents a procedure for determining the confined compressive strength of RC square columns confined by rectilinear ties with various tie configurations considering directly the influence of flexural flexibility of the ties and the variation of confining stress along the vertical direction. The concept of area compatibility is employed to ensure compatibility of the concrete core and steel hoop in a global sense. The proposed procedure yields satisfactory predictions of confined strengths compared with experimental results, and the influence of tie flexibility, tie configuration and degree of confinement can be well captured.