Abstract: The initial geo-stress balance process is the first and also the most important process of a finite-element analysis of geotechnical engineering, and the accuracy of the calculation is one of the decisive factors in terms of reliability of the numerical analysis. Based on the FEM software ABAQUS, effects of four fundamental balance methods (auto-balance method, keywords method, ODB file method and initial stress extraction method) were analyzed in three models with different degrees of complicities. The results show that all four balance methods meet the requirements of geo-stress balance analysis for a simple model, and the auto-balance method obtains the best results compared with the other methods. However, for the stratum-structure model containing complex boundary conditions of tie constraint or friction contact, none of the four methods can effectively finish the geo-stress balance process. A geostress balance method suitable for the model with complex boundary conditions was proposed by analyzing the calculation results, and the effectiveness of this new method was verified by means of calculation cases. The research results provide valuable information for FEM analysis and related research.