Final answer:
The final step in the accounting process is the post-closing trial balance. This step comes after financial statements like the income statement and balance sheet are prepared, and it verifies that debits and credits are balanced post-closing.
Step-by-step explanation:
The final step in the accounting process is post-closing trial balance (option c). After closing entries are made to reset temporary accounts and transfer their balances to permanent accounts, a post-closing trial balance is prepared. This step is crucial to ensure that debits and credits are still in balance after the closing process. The income statement, statement of owners equity, and balance sheet are all prepared before the post-closing trial balance and are part of the financial statements, but they are not the final step in the accounting cycle.