I understand your sentiments when solutions feel out of reach and the responses you’ve received haven’t provided the clarity you need, sequoia. Please know that I’m here to help bring resolution and clarity to this matter.
When creating the projects, it's important to add the cost of every employee first to ensure it will show up on the report.
Here's how:
- In your QBO account, go to Projects.
- Click Manage settings, then select Set cost rate.
- Choose the employee that has a project, then click Add.
- After the cost rate, select Save.

As a result, when you pull up the report, all projects will have the total cost.
I'm also adding this article to help you use projects to track your labor costs and profitability for future reference: Track hourly labor costs and profitability by project in QuickBooks Online.
If you have more concerns related to QuickBooks, don't hesitate to reply. We'll be on the look out anytime.