A theoretical model was proposed to calculate the stress in the multilayer heterostructures such as multiple quantum well and strained quantum well structures. The model was derived under consideration of the difference between crystalline parameters such as the lattice constant and thermal expansion coefficient of the composed crystal layers. In this model, each composed crystal layer is divided into many imaginary thin layers. The face force and strain balance was considered over all the imaginary thin layers with coherent interfaces. Using this model, the stress in the lattice‐matched InP/In0.53Ga0.47As and strained InP/In0.82Ga0.18As multilayer heterostructures was calculated at 600 °C. In the multilayer, the compressive stress in the In0.53Ga0.47As and In0.82Ga0.18As layers is always larger than the tensile stress in the InP layers. The stress in the InxGa1−xAs layers decreases as the thickness of the InxGa1−xAs layers increases, and it increases by adding InP thick layers on the one side or both sides of the multilayer. The tangential and perpendicular lattice constants in the multilayer were calculated using this model. The perturbation of the InP lattice becomes smaller and that of the InGaAs lattice becomes larger by adding the thick InP layers. It is found from these results that the total stress at the InP/InGaAs heterointerface depends on only the lattice misfit, but the share of the total stress depends strongly on the structure.