The dynamic active earth pressure on retaining structures due to seismic loading is commonly obtained by using the modified Coulomb's approach which is known as the Mononobe-Okabe method. This method has generally been used for cohesionless soils only. A general solution for the determination of total (i.e. static and dynamic) active earth force for a c-ϕ soil as backfill was developed by Prakash and Saran in 1966 based on the simplifying assumption that adhesion between the wall-soil interface is equal to the cohesion of the soil, that the surface of the backfill is horizontal, and that the effect of the vertical acceleration can be neglected. This note presents an improved method for calculating the static and dynamic active force behind a rigid retaining wall based on its geometry, inclination of the backfill, surcharge, strength parameters of the backfill, and the adhesion between the wall face and the soil. The effects of adhesion, inclination of backfill, and vertical components of seismic loading for a typical retaining wall are discussed.