diff --git a/docs/API.md b/docs/API.md
index 67d531d..95d2534 100644
--- a/docs/API.md
+++ b/docs/API.md
@@ -598,7 +598,37 @@ A user-defined category attached to a specific expense list.
 
 ## 6. Error Handling
 
-_TODO_
+All errors are returned as JSON. The `GlobalExceptionHandler` (`@RestControllerAdvice`) maps exceptions to HTTP status codes consistently across every endpoint.
+
+### Error response format
+
+Most errors:
+```json
+{
+  "error": "Human-readable message"
+}
+```
+
+Validation errors (`400`):
+```json
+{
+  "username": "size must be between 3 and 30",
+  "googleId": "must not be blank"
+}
+```
+
+### Status code reference
+
+| HTTP Status | Condition | Source |
+|-------------|-----------|--------|
+| 400 Bad Request | Input validation failed (missing/invalid fields) | `MethodArgumentNotValidException` via `@Valid` |
+| 400 Bad Request | Business rule violation (e.g. expense not in this list) | `IllegalArgumentException` |
+| 403 Forbidden | User not registered in the system | `AuthenticatedUserResolver` → `ResponseStatusException(FORBIDDEN)` |
+| 403 Forbidden | Ownership check failed (e.g. deleting someone else's list) | `ResponseStatusException(FORBIDDEN)` in controller |
+| 404 Not Found | Entity does not exist (user, list, expense) | `ResourceNotFoundException` |
+| 409 Conflict | Username already taken | `UsernameAlreadyExistsException` |
+| 429 Too Many Requests | Rate limit exceeded | `RateLimitFilter` (returned directly, not via exception handler) |
+| 500 Internal Server Error | Unexpected runtime or generic exception | `RuntimeException` / `Exception` — message is hidden from client |
 
 ## 7. Recent Changes — `feature/security-hardening`