When I try to pay, why am I receiving either an error that a problem exists with the security certification for the USPTO website or being taken back to the beginning of the form?

If during the payment process for your filing you are bounced to the front page of the form or encounter an “SSL Certificate Error,” you should try a browser other than IE. Or, if limited to IE, please simply try the next available browser version (for example, IE7.0 and IE8.0 are currently available for download). Or, if necessary, please review the information available at SSL Certificate Troubleshooting. This problem is not one that relates to the USPTO end, and cannot be resolved from the USPTO side.