<p>Vertical bearing behavior of pure tapered frictional piles under T-V loading is analyzed based on the fictitious soil pile method. The vertical settlement and torsion angle at the pile top is obtained by solving the energy equation of the pile-soil system. The vertical load and torque limits are consecutively obtained using a finite difference program. The effect of different initial torque values at the pile top on the vertical load limit is analyzed under the T–V loading sequence. Finally, the influence of the pile length, tip diameter, and elastic modulus on the vertical bearing behavior of tapered frictional piles with different initial torque values is analyzed. As a result, the vertical load and torque limits of tapered frictional piles under pure compression and pure torsion are increased compared with those of constant-cross-section piles. Under the T-V loading sequence, for piles with high length (L ⩾ 40 m), large diameters (d₀ ⩾ 0.8 m), and high stiffness (E_p ⩾ 35 GPa), it is critical to consider the influence of the initial torque at the pile top on the vertical bearing capacity of tapered frictional piles.</p>