The resultant lateral pressure exerted by the backfill soil and its point of application on any earth retaining structure are governed by the mode of wall movement and the soil arching effect. The nonlinear active pressure distribution due to the arching effect under different mode of wall yielding for retaining wall with horizontal backfill has been addressed in the past. In this letter, a new analytical approach for the active earth pressure incorporating arching effect behind a rigid wall with sloping cohesionless backfill subjected to rotation about the base is proposed. The slip surface developed in the backfill is assumed to have logarithmic spiral geometry. Using the proposed formulation, the influence of slope angle, angle of internal friction, and wall friction on the active thrust and its point of action has been investigated. © 2021, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.