This paper presents an approach to evaluating the post-fire residual capacity of reinforced concrete columns by finite element analysis. Initially developed FE model was validated against an experimental test result. The analysis was performed in two stages: first, fire exposure through thermal response; then, after cooling down, the structural response of the fire-affected specimen to determine the residual capacity. Three different RC square columns with different reinforcement percentages (1, 2, and 3%) were analyzed. Each of these columns was exposed to a standard fire for 60 to 240 min. The outcome from this analysis shows that RC column residual capacity and stiffness decrease as fire exposure duration increases. The results show that for the first 60 min of fire exposure, the residual capacities of all RC columns were 56–68% of their nominal capacities. Among the three column sections, it was observed that the residual capacity degraded faster in cases of columns with smaller cross-section. The residual capacity obtained from FE analysis was finally compared with that calculated using simplified method. From the comparison it was found that, simplified method’s prediction of after fire residual capacities were nonconservative for the RC columns exposed in fire for shorter duration.