A coupon schedule is the timetable of interest payments on a bond. It is fixed in the terms and conditions at issue and runs from the interest commencement date to maturity. The schedule is defined by the payment frequency (annual, semi-annual or quarterly are most common), the day and month of each payment, and the first and last payment dates. Where the first or last period is shorter or longer than the others, it is known as a short or long stub, and the coupon payment for that period is scaled accordingly.
Two rules complete the schedule. The business day convention says what happens when a date falls on a weekend or holiday. The day count convention sets how each period is measured. Data vendors and custodians store the schedule in instrument reference data, where it drives accrued interest, cash forecasts and bond coupon processing.