In this paper, the stress intensity factor, energy release rate and crack opening displacement are computed using the finite element method for axisymmetric viscoelastic cylinders with the penny-shaped and circumferential cracks. The triangular elements with quarter point nodes are used to describe the stress singularity around the crack edge. The analytical solutions are also derived by using the elastic-viscoelastic correspondence principle and compared with the numerical results to show the validity and accuracy of the presented method. Viscoelastic materials are assumed to behave elastically in dilatation and like a three-parameter standard linear solid.