My child is 16 and his father has never paid child support. How many years can I go back and collect child support?

If you have a child support order, the court will grant you the entire arrears. If you have no order and have not tried to collect before the court might wonder what took you so long. In NYS you get support from the time of the application not for past arrears if you have no prior order.
On my profile there are several legal guides. I recommend reviewing the following which may be helpful to you:


Hiring a lawyer; Is it Legal? Is it Illegal?...Understanding the different court systems;
Legal terms used in litigation………………………………………………………..




Divorce in General and How It's Handled in New Jersey
Financial Dos and Don'ts after a Divorce (written by Attorney Gabriel Cheong)


LEGAL DISCLAIMER…………………………………………………………………..
Mr. Sarno is licensed to practice law in NJ and NY. His response here is not legal advice and does not create an attorney/ client relationship. The response is in the form of legal education and is intended to provide general information about the matter in question. Many times the questioner may leave out details which would make the reply unsuitable. Mr. Sarno strongly advises the questioner to confer with an attorney in their own state to acquire more information about this issue.