People frequently ask me one of two rhetorical questions. Sometimes they will say, usually out of frustration, "Why is Social Security so complicated?" Even though they were probably not looking for an answer, I give them one anyway. I point out that Social Security is complicated because life is complicated. If we all lived simple lives, got married only once, held the same job all our lives, retired at the same age, never went back to work afterwards, never moved and died in the middle of a month — then Social Security would be so easy. But that's not the way our lives work and that's why Social Security rules can get complicated.

Other times, people will ask a similar question: "Why does Social Security have so many rules?" The answer to that question is that those rules have to cover every possible variable that can come into play when dealing with the complications that life offers. And I recently came across a good example of this.

A reader asked me when the benefits to his daughter would end. He is getting retirement benefits and has one minor daughter left at home collecting dependent benefits on his record. I responded by saying this: "Student benefits end when the child reaches age 18, but can continue until 19 if the child is still in high school."

Out of curiosity, I checked the Social Security Administration rule book about this issue, which went on for about 10 pages, answering the same question I answered in that one sentence!

It started out by going over the general policy (essentially my one-sentence answer). But then it went on and on and on to cover all the possible exceptions that could occur. Here is just a brief summary. (In the sections below, "FTA" means full-time attendance. And when the rules mention "secondary school," they essentially mean high school.)

No. 1: Student graduates and benefits terminate before age 19.

James attained the age of 18 in March and graduated from a secondary level program in May. He has no plans to continue attendance in a secondary-level program, so his benefits terminate in June.

No. 2: Student graduates before age 19 and continues in FTA in a secondary level course. Her student benefits terminate before age 19.

Emily attains the age of 18 in April and graduates from a secondary school in June. She is on vacation in July and August and plans to continue FTA at a secondary school in September through December. Her benefits terminate in January because she is no longer in FTA.

No. 3: Student graduates before age 19 and continues in FTA in a secondary level course. Her student benefits terminate at age 19.

Emily attains the age of 18 in April and graduates from a secondary school in June. She continues in FTA in a secondary level course in September, planning to attend through June. She receives benefits based on her FTA in a secondary-level program through March. Her benefits terminate in April, the month she attains the age of 19, because she has already graduated from secondary school.

No. 4: Student attains the age of 19 in a month of nonattendance.

Tony completes his junior year of high school in May, is on vacation in June and July, attains the age of 19 in July and plans to return to secondary school in August. His benefits continue through June but terminate in July because he attains the age of 19 in a month of nonattendance.

No. 5: Student attains the age of 19 in a month of FTA and the school operates on a yearly basis; student benefits terminate the first day of the third month after the age 19 attainment month (payment to age 19 and 2 months).

Janice attains the age of 19 in February. Her school year runs from September through June and her school operates on a yearly basis. Janice receives payments through April and her benefits terminate in May, the third month after the month in which she attains the age of 19.

No. 6: Student attains the age of 19 in a month of FTA; the school operates on a yearly basis; student's benefits terminate the first day of the month after the month the student completes the school year in which he or she is enrolled

Janice attains the age of 19 in April and attends high school through May. She is on vacation in June and July and plans to return for her senior year in August. She receives benefits through May, the month she completes the school year in which she is enrolled in the age 19 attainment month and her benefits terminate in June.

No. 7: Student attains the age of 19 in a month of FTA; the school operates on a semester or quarterly basis and requires re-enrollment; and the first day of the third month after age 19 attainment and the end of the course coincide

Jacob attains the age of 19 on September 3. Per the SSA-1372, his school operates on a semester basis and requires re-enrollment every semester. The semester begins Sept. 18 and ends Nov. 30. Jacob receives benefits through November (age 19 and 2 months) and his benefits terminate in December.

No. 8: Student attains the age of 19 in a month of FTA; the school operates on a semester or quarterly basis and requires re-enrollment; the student's benefits terminate the first day of the month after the month in which he or she completes the course in which he or she is enrolled in the age 19 attainment month (payment past age 19 and 2 months).

Jacob attains the age of 19 in September. The school official certified on the SSA-1372-BK that the school operates on a semester basis and requires re-enrollment each semester. The semester begins in September and ends in December. Jacob receives benefits through December, the end of the semester and his benefits terminate in January because the semester in which he attains the age of 19 ends in December and his school operates on a semester basis and requires re-enrollment.

I'm already out of space. And this section of the rule book went on for many more pages, giving even more examples of when student benefits should terminate. People often complain that Social Security laws are so complex. I put all of this in today's column just to show you why they have to be so. There has to be some rule to cover every possible scenario that can occur for every potential Social Security situation. As I said earlier, Social Security is complicated because life is complicated.

If you have a Social Security question, Tom Margenau has two books with all the answers. One is called "Social Security — Simple and Smart: 10 Easy-to-Understand Fact Sheets That Will Answer All Your Questions About Social Security." The other is "Social Security: 100 Myths and 100 Facts." You can find the books at Amazon.com or other book outlets. Or you can send him an email at [email protected]. To find out more about Tom Margenau and to read past columns and see features from other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

Photo credit: Arisa Chattasa at Unsplash